Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Dreams Alive
by Darkford
Summary: Rei may not know how she ended up in a strange land called Theseus inhabited solely by Pokémon, but she can tell right from wrong. Whatever this dream is, she can break herself out of it. But is it all just a dream...?
1. Prologue

Somewhere beyond what was known, a voice floated to the ears of someone suspended in the colourful nothingness.

 _Hello!_

Blinking into the sourceless light, that someone searched for the voice, to no avail.

 _I'm sorry. I'm kind of... non-physical... right now. So are you! Isn't that cool?_

The startled nature of the child's response garnered her a light laughter.

 _You're funny!_ The voice stopped. _You know what? I should be doing my job._

A confused noise, the speaker's sounds nearly lost in the void, which was much less threatening than it sounds.

 _Well, yeah, I was kind of expecting that. Anyways..._

The voice changed to that of a far more confident figure, who was also far less giggly. _Well then. Young one, show me. Show me, within your mind, who you are._

A flash, and suddenly the child didn't remember anything. A panicking flustered feeling threw itself into the nothingness, but the voice took steps to soothe.

 _Don't panic. I had to take your memories to actually look at them... but you'll be fine. You won't need them again for a bit._ A slightly mollified sound displayed reluctant acceptance.

 _Now. This is... interesting._ A questioning remark, which probably would have been along the lines of 'what do you mean by that?' if the child had not been stripped of voice and language, being non-physical and all that.

 _Well. You'll know... eventually._ Another flash, and the child fell helplessly into nothingness, as if they had been standing on clouds.

* * *

A/N; Hello, Pokémon community, and welcome to Pokémon Mystery Dungeon; Dreams Alive!

I know this probably won't stand out from the jumbled masses, but it can't hurt to try.

Enjoy the preview!


	2. Chapter 1

Rei was... confused.

Yes, that was probably the best word for how you'd be feeling if you woke up on a strange altar miles away from anywhere with a new body. She lifted herself from being what she figured was flat on her face until she realized her back legs felt unusually short. Then, with a slight twinge, she'd realised that she had, yes indeed, a tail.

Well, shoot.

She shook herself, testing her muscles, and felt the shaking of what was undeniably an incredibly thick and fluffy coat. She looked down, to see two identical brown paws, and glanced behind her, shifting her newly-discovered tailbone to look at her new tail, which was a similar brown with a white fluffy tip. She took a few steps forward and promptly fell flat on her face.

 _Ouch._

Picking herself up again, she stumbled around like a drunken sailor for about thirty minutes, getting a few bruises and a functional body for her efforts. Once she felt reasonably capable of not falling over sideways, she carefully picked her way down from the altar and looked behind her.

There was the altar, a simple stone pillar which ended at about one eighth the height of the room, with a relatively short staircase winding down it that she had used to get down. The room itself was circular, going around in waves, something that reminded her deeply of Rome and Italy. Four tall pillars held up the roof, and behind the altar was a _gigantic_ statue of what seemed to be of an elegant quadrupedal Pokémon she'd never seen before. She was about to reach for her cell to take a picture but quickly remembered the situation _and_ the fact she did not have _anything_.

At _all._

Rei sighed, gave up on the place, and moved for a glow not far away. A long hallway reached out from this chamber, and if she wasn't dreaming, then light streamed out from around the corner.

At least, that's how she hoped she was able to see.

It was obvious, by the time she had walked through piles of broken pillars and tiles and stone that this place was _not_ cared for. It was probably abandoned, so she went on with her senses tingling. If anyone else was here, they probably weren't meant to be here. She found a couple of old TMs and rocks in the right shape, good enough to throw. Scrounging them together, and ducking back through the hall, she dashed around until she found something suitable. A Scarf, a bright pink scarf, which she wrapped around her neck and used as a sling to carry a small number of supplies.

It was about two TMs and a few more scarves later that she heard something up ahead. Ducking behind a rock, she let her ears pick up on the sound. A pitter-patter of paws, the slight feeling that something - some force - was rushing through the ground, the confident steps both of one quadruped and a biped. She marvelled at the accuracy of her hearing for a moment before ducking back down again and listening more for the kind of sound that would come from something intentionally - a growl, a giggle, even snatches of conversation would be something to look out for -

 _There._ "-Zaps, you sure you heard something in here?" A slightly masculine, young voice rang out.

"Sure of it!" A second, edgier voice, insisted. His voice shook. "It was there! In the chamber!" The former made a sound between doubt and resignation.

She felt this force again, tingling up her tail, and she finally had enough. Focusing, she tried to figure out Protect, at least to try and use it to deflect things. Surprisingly, a strange energy crawled down her tail just as another trickle of force came through. This one was blocked by the psychic energy, and she suddenly heard the second voice groan.

"Shoot! I lost the signal!"

Oh no. Did they know where she was?

Defending herself as a paranoid force of habit, she sent a few more protect shields, hoping the pair would be deterred. She heard the voices continue on, as if they were just more eager.

"Zaps, this is ridiculous. The world doesn't need saving, and no one's here. If someone needed saving we'd smell them."

"Riolu! What do you think I am, a Mightyena? I can't sniff out anything! I rely on electrical currents, and they aren't able to find anything! Something's interfering with my senses!" She heard the quadruped huff grumpily.

So. She was a Pokémon. It was the only explanation - somehow, someone must have transformed her some way. Disregarding its importance for a bit, she opened up her heightened senses again and figured out how far away they were. She stopped and scurried a little farther away when she realised they were barely meters away from her.

"Y'know, maybe we should go back," the biped's voice suggested worriedly. "Cresselia would be mad if anyone went into the chamber. We may be kids, but that doesn't exempt us from the law." Oh, good. Just a pair of kids. But who was this... Cresselia?

"Quiet!" The quadruped retorted. "I'm listening for something!" Rei let her breathing get shallow. Being found was probably a bad idea. Swallowing her pride, she scattered the scarves in one huge pile of fluff and hid underneath them. She didn't need the TMs anyway.

She heard the sounds of paws getting closer as she dared herself not to move.

"Wha- Zaps! Look!" One cried, pattering over to the pile of scarves. "Some sort of... stash or something!"

"Really?!" The other voice called. It ran over and stared for a moment. "This... looks like a lot of valuable Items! Look, there's the Thunderbolt TM! And a Dodge Scarf, and a Friend Bow! This place is a gold mine!" Rei heard him shifting to speak. "See? Someone just has to be here!"

The Riolu - that's probably what it was - seemed a little concerned. "But Zaps, what if... this is a collection of stuff... from other explorers? Ones that are official, and have training with the Truthmakers? What if something terrible lives here?"

Zaps, whoever he was, seemed to consider this. "True. But if something was here, they'd already have attacked us, right?"

Rei considered something, then decided it was safe. Shifting slightly, she curled up in a more comfortable position.

"Ah!" She felt the Riolu push off and land about a meter away. "It moved! Zaps, it moved!" Zaps seemed a little afraid, too, as she felt crackles of electricity from the scarves. Then, with a bit of gentle care, the Riolu stepped forward and gently lifted one of the scarves covering her tail with one paw.

Rei reacted automatically. That _was_ where her private lady parts had been before.

"Ow!" The Riolu jumped back again, shielding his face. "Okay, don't take the scarves away. Fine with me." Suddenly the electrical output was approaching her, and she felt little stray ends of electricity testing her, feeling out where she was. She didn't like it, not really. A Protect shield dealt with the worst of it.

"Hold on, Zaps, let me try something." The Riolu stepped forward. "Um... Hello?"

In the background, she heard Zaps saying something along the lines of, "That's the stupidest approach ever. Why would that work?" Well. At least the Riolu seemed... a little better.

Still angry about the tail, though.

No reply, just a tail flick. She didn't have time for this.

"See? What did I tell you. Probably one of those unintelligent mystery dungeon ones that've been popping up. They can't even talk." Okay, annoyed now.

"I can talk better than either of you, thank you very much," Rei retorted. Zaps just froze in place. "And I am definitely NOT unintelligent."

Zaps decided to test that.

"Hm. What's three times four?"

"Seriously? Math? Fine. I'll humour you. That's twelve."

"Oh, okay." He acted like that was a really hard question. "Then, uh, what does Spore do, and which Pokémon is known for it?"

"Spore is a sure shot move that puts opponents to sleep, and is the signature move of Parasect, although other Pokémon - like Breloom - can learn it." Rei sighed. "I've had enough. Goodnight."

"Wait! Uh, if you're so smart... then do you know how Scyther evolve?" Zaps asked. Riolu let out a surprised sound.

"Zaps, only a Scyther would know that!" Riolu snapped.

Rei considered. "Well. Scyther have a very strange method of evolution. I've heard it involves A Metal Coat along with a special electrical current." She adjusted her seat under the pile of scarves. "But that's just where I come from. It's different elsewhere. Like with Feebas."

Zaps looked awestruck. "Wow. That's... really cool. So... where do you come from?" _Oh, bad question. How do I tell a young... whatever he is... that I come from some sort of human civilization? Ah, I'll improvise._

"Good question. When you're like me, that question rarely gets a sensible answer." Rei stretched under the cover of the scarves. "But if you really want to know..." Rei stopped.

 _Nothing._

 _I can't remember anything._

 _Better be mysterious..._

"Well. Have you ever heard of Subspace?" _It's a total lie, but whatever._

"Subspace?"

"It's a very special place. Between here and there, like a bridge. I come from subspace. Unfortunately, that means that probably doesn't make much sense. Nothing exists there, which means that I'm in the middle of a grandmother paradox." The kid stopped.

"I think I have a headache."

"Good. That means you understand."

"What?"

"There are two questions, the one I just referenced and how I got here in the first place." Rei stopped for effect. This was fun. "How I got there is a question for another day, but if you've followed everything I just said, then you shouldn't because it's a paradox."

"I understood about half of that," The Riolu commented. "What is subspace again?"

"Void. Absolute nothingness, with some paint and a touch of non-existence."

"Say what?"

"A void. Where nothing exists." Rei paused. "Physically, anyway."

"Okay, you've lost me." The Riolu sighed. Holding out a paw, he continued, "Uh, I'm Riolu... and this is Zaps." He gestured, something Rei could feel in the air. "I... is it okay if we could... see you? Just so we know for sure we're safe here." Rei sighed.

"Fine." Getting up again, she shook the scarves off her back and turned to face the pair. Zaps, apparently, was a Shinx. The Riolu was a Riolu.

"You're an Eevee." Riolu said in disbelief.

"Sure I am. What about it?" Rei asked. Eevee... were natural, right?

"Well, I thought they, like, went extinct... or at least were so dreadfully rare they were considered mythical." Zaps commented.

Rei shifted uncomfortably. "Don't ask me. I don't claim to be an expert, but last I checked there was nothing wrong."

"Oh." Riolu looked disappointed for a second, then perked up. "Oh! Do you live near here?"

Rei shifted again. "Uh... no."

"Then... what are you doing here?" Zaps asked, suspicious.

"Whatever it is people do when they're lost in a cave?" Rei said shyly. Zaps and Riolu shared a glance.

"Uh... want us to lead you out?"

"I guess I don't have any better options. Sure." Stretching, Rei brought herself back from relaxing and retied her Pecha Scarf, before dumping the things she had in there. Glancing at Shinx, she decided the Thunderbolt could be her thanks or something.

"Alright. Lead the way."

* * *

The cave wasn't as long as Rei thought it was.

* * *

"So here we are." Riolu turned back to speak to Rei directly. "Do you need us to guide you further?"

Rei shook her head. "Nah. I'll be good from here, thanks." Turning to her scarf, she pulled out the Thunderbolt. "Here. For your friend, as thanks. Doesn't feel right to leave you two with nothing for your help." Riolu accepted it graciously and handed it to Zaps, who was practically leaping for joy. He clutched it tightly.

"Thank you!"

Rei smiled and turned to leave. Now wasn't a good time to stall.


	3. Chapter 2

Rei had walked for what felt like ages before she felt safe to settle down for the night. Scrounging up enough leaves and sticks to make a large, leafy roof, she leaned it against a tree and used it for protection. Settling down a little once that was done, she collected leaves to add until she had enough to make walls as well. By the time the sun sank on the unfamiliar horizon, Rei had a makeshift place to call home.

She felt like she'd been surviving before, like she knew this feeling. But for now, all she could do was hope it was enough.

It wasn't actually that fun when you were on your own. No one to talk to was one thing, but sitting and watching out for danger made one barely able to sleep. Rei made an effort to distract herself with the objects she'd collected earlier.

The Scarf - the pink one, the first one - had been referred to as a Pecha Scarf. She checked it over, feeling the silk move across her skin. Uh, fur.

Darn. That was going to take some getting used to, looking down and seeing two little brown paws. She'd hoped she wouldn't have to get used to it for very long. Calming herself down once more, she turned back to the pile of things stuffed inside the makeshift bag. TMs... it had been a long time since she'd used those. They were rare and expensive, and not something used lightly, even if they were multi-use thanks to her technical skills. These she got for free, although their significance in her quest for normal was questionable.

Well, better than nothing.

She tapped the TM with one paw, letting a foreign electrical current flow into her. Suddenly everything clicked, and she tested what she'd learned by carefully pointing herself at a tree outside and charging gently, going just over the edge of what was needed.

 _Hyper Beam._

BOOM.

Okay, not the best choice, even if she was being careful. But everyone has to learn somehow.

She decided to test a safer one. Deciding to read the covers before she used them, she looked along until she found one she decided was a good idea.

 _Rest._

Yeah, that would be helpful, and it wouldn't hurt another tree.

She moved on to the scarves - she used this term loosely, as half of them were bows, and there was even the odd bracelet and necklace, and a really weird tie with small dark blue dots. A few were similar materials to the scarf she'd used to carry everything, so she put those aside as Pecha scarves. Sorting through once again, she began to make piles - piles of bands, piles of scarves, piles of things that boosted strength and defences and piles of things that negated attacks, until she knew where everything was.

A few Friend Bows, about four coalition scarves, and some other items only groups of people - or Pokémon, in Rei's case - were set to one side. What could she use them for, anyway? She was on her own.

Moving outside once more, she sat down to stare at the moon. At least that was the same. At the very least, she was somewhere very similar. The moon even looked the same. She couldn't be wrong. This world was indeed at the very least one like her own. Which hopefully meant there was a way back.

Hopefully.

Her ears, instinctively trained to listen, heard the approach of two intruders. Getting up, she moved into the bushes, a bit away from her camp. If they were following her, they would conclude she was heading for support, not away from it. She could always find a way to escape later, and she could keep her camp...

As she'd expected, the shapes followed her. slinking past a few small burrows, she managed to find her way to a path etched into the undergrowth. Deciding it was her best bet at this point, she went inside and fuddled with a few leaves until she was expertly hidden in the leafy arc that displayed the dark forest.

Snatches of speech could be heard, and her heart beat heavy as she listened in, trying to keep her overeager ears from perking up and down at each noise.

"Tauros, are you sure? If a child came through here..." A voice, gentle and feminine, yet with a deep and foreign quality, ran through.

"Then they'd be in danger!" Another, rougher voice snapped, and she heard a sound similar to a whip cracking, presumably his three tails hitting the ground in frustration. "Miltank, you know how I feel about this! We can't just let this go!"

The Miltank sighed. "Yes, I know. But it's just too much to hope for. I know you want to help the lost, Tauros, but we've only had two successes so far. Remember Vulpix? The poor girl." The Tauros flinched, his hooves carving his feelings into the ground.

The two snuffed around a bit, trying to find her, but soon the Miltank gave up. She sat down to one side, watching her friend snuff around hurriedly, hoping to regain the scent. After a few minutes, he gave up, and came to rest next to her.

"Tauros, we should go back." The Miltank argued.

"No!" He growled, but he soon regained his posture. "Miltank, I need to do this. I guide the lost."

"But we almost always fail." Miltank said, sad. "They always end up lost again. Succumbing to darkness..."

"Miltank." Tauros said, as if to get her attention. "If a confused Pokémon walks along a sidewalk, with a wall to one side and a cart-road to another, Pokémon would say he was headed to the cart-road. People would say that he was bound to eventually walk out there. The closest we can get to success is to head towards that wall, even if it looks like we should be headed for the cart-road. To me, success is merely being able to protect them, even if we end up on the cart-road in the end. We tried, and that, to me, is success."

"I guess you're right."

Rei considered. These 'failures' were somewhat worrying, but... the way this Tauros spoke, it was as if they lived in a violent world. It might be safest to join these Pokémon. Rei made a decision.

They didn't even notice her when she stepped out of the bush. To get their attention, she said, "Hyper Beam that wall, then."

Their heads suddenly snapped up from where they were resting, and for a few heart-wrenching moments the two stared at her as if she were everything they had ever wanted. Then the Tauros's tails began to sway gently, and he creeped over, carefully trying to seem smaller than he was.

"Hello, young one. Where did you come from?" he said softly, as the Miltank moved to join him.

"Elsewhere." Rei said. It was true, at least. "Who are you?"

"We are Pokémon who live in the village just over that hill and through the forest." the Miltank replied. "I am Miltank, and this is Tauros. Who might you be?"

"I am Rei." Rei supplied, wondering what this was leading to.

"Are you lost?" the Tauros asked, concerned.

"Well." Rei looked around. "If you count amnesia and lack of idea where to go or where I came from as lost, then yes, I count as lost. Probably." She glanced at the moon once more, peaceful and calm as she remembered it.

The pair looked at each other, eyes wide. Then, Miltank moved forward, and gripped my paw in one hoof. "Child, you must not stay here. Are you aware of the Mystery Dungeons here?"

Rei cocked a head. "No, not really. Are they dangerous?"

"Yes, very," Tauros said seriously. "I couldn't get through one alone, and I'm a local."

Rei considered. "Where is a good place to stay, then? I can't very well stay somewhere unsafe."

"Out in the village is the closest, but we have to head through a Mystery Dungeon to get to it," Miltank admitted. "Don't worry. We'll keep you safe."

Rei blinked. "You mean... you're just going to go through there and risk your lives to try and help me?"

"Well, yes," Tauros said, as if it were obvious. "That's what we do."

"I see." Rei considered. "I will join you, but please, if you find yourselves in danger, save yourselves for another time. I'm not worth this." Rei leaped away quickly, and a bit later came back with her things, her scarf once again wrapped around her neck in such a way that she could carry her things.

"Are you ready, child?" Tauros asked, tails flicking about restlessly.

"Yes. Lead the way." And so, they moved into the arc of leaves, into a dark forest.


	4. Chapter 3

The forest - known as the Deep Woods - was very dark, and very odd. A few times, Pokémon with dark, unseeing eyes came past, and the two did their best to keep her away from them. They stayed as far away as possible from these Pokémon, and they somehow got through most of the forest that way.

Glancing to one side, Rei saw a small blue orb sitting in a corner. She grabbed it as she went past.

Couldn't hurt.

Another time, they were walking through when suddenly Tauros dropped to the floor. Rei leaped back, then padded cautiously forward, and Miltank sighed.

"This is worse than I thought," Miltank worried. "there are even traps here this time."

Rei raised a curious eyebrow. "You're saying it's not always the same?"

"Well, yes," Miltank said. "I don't fully understand how they work, but that's just how Mystery Dungeons are."

"Hence the Mystery, I guess," Rei murmured distastefully. She yelled into Tauros's ear, waking him up.

"What in carnation- Rei!" He exclaimed, getting to his feet. "Terribly sorry. Should have seen that coming."

"Not your fault. Let's get a move on." Rei leaped down the next pathway. "Are you coming?"

The pair looked at each other, and without anything better to say, they followed the girl they had come to save.

Moving in, Miltank commented, "We're nearly out, now." Just then, a high-pitched scream pierced the darkness.

"What was that?" Rei whispered gravely. She felt she'd heard this voice before.

"No. No, not those two." Miltank murmured, as Tauros charged ahead. Rei glanced back to make sure Miltank would be okay, then loped after Tauros.

"HELP!" The voice - the Riolu! - called out. Rei sped up hurriedly, and soon matched Tauros in speed.

Turning a corner, Rei laid eyes upon a threatening scene. Two large Pokémon, probably a Druddigon and a Gurdurr, were closing in on the Riolu and the Shinx from earlier. The Druddigon held the Riolu up by the neck, and the Shinx was growling at the Gurdurr, to very little effect.

"You two..." Tauros seemed barely able to hold himself. He burst forward, in a rage, and moments later the Gurdurr whacked him into a wall with his girder.

Rei considered for a moment. It would be stupid to follow Tauros's example... wait.

She lifted the blue orb and smashed it into the floor. A bright blue flash sent the effects throughout the room. Suddenly the two large Pokémon couldn't move at all.

"What in the-?!" The Druddigon roared angrily, as the Riolu found the strength to push his way out of the dragon's grip. He ran over to cower behind Miltank. The Shinx dashed over to Rei and cowered behind her wordlessly.

Rei decided she'd had enough of these losers.

Miltank was about to protest, but Riolu stopped her from going too far.

The two offenders were the only ones in the right position to see exactly what Rei was doing. They were very, very scared.

Then, there was a flash, and their world faded to black.

* * *

"I... What?" Miltank gaped. Utter destruction - in the form of an overcharged hyper beam - left the room as nothing but wreckage.

"Way past cool," the Shinx said, popping out from behind a gasping Rei. "That was awesome!"

"Remind me... not to... do that... again," She muttered, before she sat down to catch her breath. The Riolu walked over and sat down next to her.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, will be," Rei replied, before drooping into sleep.

"She looks plum tuckered out," Tauros said, shaking himself off from his unexpected visit to the east wall. "Let's get her home, shall we?" There was a smug tone in his voice, directed towards Miltank.

"Yes, I get it, you were right," Miltank waved him off. "Let's go home."

* * *

Rei wasn't sure where she was, for the second time in two days. Lifting herself from a really rather comfortable nest, she shook out her fur and moved to what looked like a brush. She tried to use it, but it was too unwieldy with just her maw. Foregoing brushing her fur, she walked out to a hallway, then into a main room, where she heard the familiar sounds of breakfast.

"Hi, Rei!" Zaps called, from a seat at a low-down table. He still had grape juice on his face. "You hungry?"

"Yeah," Rei agreed, smiling. Prancing over gracefully, she looked at the absolute feast that was laid out on the table.

Miltank waved her over to a seat next to Riolu and laid some food in front of her. The next twenty minutes was mostly her eating, not really bothered with telling people why she was so ravenous. Once she finished, she licked her lips and stretched, really awake for the first time that day.

"Rei! There you are!" Tauros called from the doorway. He had an empty satchel wrapped around his neck. "I was wondering when you'd wake up. You really did a number on yourself, didn'tcha?" He walked over and hovered over her. "It's about time I told you how things work around here." Rei looked up, and followed him into another room.

"Now, child," he said, laying down at one side of the room. "Do you know how you came to this land? Anything at all you can tell me about yourself?"

Rei considered. "That is difficult. I'll try, though." Tauros nodded in understanding.

"My name is Rei. I know that. But there isn't much else I know. I woke up one day and found myself in a strange building. I decided to leave, and on my way out I ran into the Shinx and Riolu eating out there." Tauros seemed slightly startled, but decided not to comment. "After that, I set up camp in the forest near where you found me. I practised some things, then realised someone was watching me... so I ran, moving deliberately away from my camp so it wouldn't be found." Tauros's eyes narrowed once again, but it was more to himself than at her. "Then, after listening to you and Miltank talk, I decided it would be best to stick with you guys. You seem like nice Pokémon."

Tauros stood, pacing the room a bit, and Rei made a move away from his lashing tails.

"Child, first off... how good are you at taking care of yourself? Be honest. It was mostly because of your actions we survived yesterday."

Rei sighed. "I don't know. But it feels... confusing, on the inside. Like I'm both an adult and a child. I know I can take care of myself, but then, if we could say that no matter what trouble we ran into, we'd have to be immortal or indestructible or something." Tauros nodded seriously.

"I think we'll be giving you more liberties than those two out there. You know how to get out of a bad situation. Now, more importantly..." He turned to look angrily at one wall, then resumed. "Tell me about this... building."

"It was all made of stone, and there was a large statue of a Pokémon I'd never seen before," Rei described. "There were a lot of pillars, and the place I found myself looked like some sort of altar." Tauros nodded grimly.

"I believe that must have been the Altar of Serenity. It is a place people go to find clarity and peace," Tauros explained. "It was put up by a legendary hero long ago. His name was Keldeo."

"Interesting, I've never heard of him." Rei paused. "Then again, I don't even know how I know what a Shinx and a Riolu are, so that's not saying much." Tauros laughed good-naturedly at this comment.

Leaving the small room, Riolu and Zaps made a face at each other and ran over.

"So, what did he say?" Zaps asked.

"Are you sticking around?" Riolu inquired hopefully.

"Yes, I'm sticking around," Rei said simply to answer the simpler of the two questions. "Tauros said it would be safer here than out in the woods." The two breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, good," Riolu sighed. "That means you're same maturity."

"Same what?" Rei asked curiously.

"Maturity," Zaps answered, taking the helm. "It's a ranking system in the village for privileges. Like, if you're a child, that's third priority maturity. It doesn't let you do much big stuff, but you can leave your house to play as long as you come back by sunset."

"It also comes with its own little rules and needs, like school," Riolu continued distastefully. "But school's no fun. Everyone just wants you to learn stuff like history and maths. When's that ever useful?" He shrugged. "They should definitely teach Adventuring instead."

"Oh, I see," Rei replied, deciding not to tell them about Tauros giving her extra privileges.

"Oh, Rei?" Miltank called from another room she hadn't been in before. "Have the boys show you around the village, okay?"

"Okay!"

"Yes!" Zaps celebrated, electricity playing over his cheeks. "This'll be fun!"

* * *

Riolu led the charge. It wasn't really much of a charge, but he went fastest and looked the biggest, so he ended up leading.

"Over there is the shop, for items," he continued from his tour. "That path goes to the beach front, and that one" - he frowned - "goes to the village school."

"Excuse me for a moment." Rei went past and began heading for the school.

"Hey, where're you going?" Zaps asked.

"To see the school, of course," Rei replied. "Where did you think I was going?"

Silence.

"Well, I'll be back, I promise. Go do something, I don't want to make you guys wait." Zaps and Riolu glanced at each other.

"Rei, do you even know what school is?" Zaps asked innocently.

"Yes, I'm well aware." Rei frowned. "Of course, it might work differently here. Which is why I want to go see."

"But... why would you want to go to school?" Riolu added.

"Because I'm interested in having basic knowledge of the universe?" Rei shook her head. "Never mind. I have reasons that probably don't count for you. I'll be back soon if you aren't going to follow me."

And with that, she ran off.

* * *

"Huh. So this is school."

Rei was expecting something... made of something other than hay and a few wooden logs. Like, what would happen if a fire-type sneezed on a vital thread or something? She patted the door to knock, and waited patiently. A few seconds later, the door swung silently open.

"Hello?" the slightly pink, tall Pokémon poked her head around the corner, and she blinked at Rei for a few seconds.

"Oh, I'm sorry, do come in," she apologised, before Rei got a chance to reply. She shrugged and walked in, though she had energy for a hyper beam just in case.

The pink Pokémon hurried over to a seat in the small hut, and motioned for Rei to take the opposite seat. Rei duly did so, making herself comfortable.

"My name is Audino, young one," Audino announced. "Who might you be, and what has brought you to our school?"

"Oh, this is the school, then." Rei nodded to herself. "My name is Rei. I came here because I'm under the impression that I might need to go to school soon, so I took the chance while I was in town."

Audino blinked. "I see. You are not the daughter of a Traveller or a Truthmaker?"

"Truthmaker?" Rei frowned. "I'm sorry, the occupation doesn't exist where I come from. Do you mind explaining to me what that is?"

"Okay," Audino agreed. "Truthmakers are heroes, in a sense. They travel through Mystery Dungeons for people."

"Oh, I see." Rei replied, satisfied. _Dungeon crawlers? An interesting occupation._

"Actually," Rei said, looking around, "what's up with all the wood and hay? I mean, what do you do if a fire-type sneezes?" Audino looked... contemplative.

"Oh," she said quietly, after a few seconds. "That's why Meowstic wanted to have classes outside after Vulpix showed up."

"So you have classes outside?" Rei inquired, deciding that Vulpix could wait.

"Yes," Audino answered, refocusing. "Young one, who is your guardian?"

"Guardian?" Rei repeated. "I'm not sure, but probably Tauros or Miltank."

Audino looked quite grim at that statement, but said nothing for a bit.

"Is there a problem?" Rei asked cautiously.

"No!" Audino replied hurriedly. "Not really. It's just... no, they wouldn't want me to tell you."

"I'm aware that they rescue children like me," Rei continued, "and that they've had failures in the past. But I'm ready to face anything that comes my way. I'm not just a child; I'm a child that has spent the majority of life surviving in the wilderness." It was partially true, so Rei didn't feel guilty.

Audino caved in. "The last time they rescued a child, they rescued a sweet girl named Vulpix. Poor thing." She seemed very sad. "But, like all of those who can evolve, we've been under pressure recently, and she was the first.

"Many of us have felt a heaviness in the air, a bad omen. Those who still had yet to evolve began to evolve against their will, forced to grow. Many of the village children have been affected, feeling great pain, though no one has evolved yet. I'm glad you seem unaffected.

"Much worse things are happening in the capital, and further on in other villages. Vulpix was one of the first to be... changed, into what we call a Broken Dream - a Pokémon that has no control over their own power. They literally turn evil, and it becomes hard to rescue them, because they are vicious and cruel against their will. Poor Vulpix ran from town, even as she evolved, to try and save us from the wrath that consumed her."

Rei fell silent. She didn't have much of an answer to that.

"I... sympathise," she said at last. "I have never felt such things myself, but it must be awful, to lose such a valuable friend like that." Audino merely nodded, smiling gently at her.

"Rei, I will see what I can do for you," Audino said. "I don't want you to go through what Vulpix did, but I'm not sure how we could prevent evolution..."

"There's a really easy way to do that," Rei countered. "I just don't know where to find the right material."

Audino was suddenly very interested.

"You say you know how?" She asked seriously.

"Yes, I know a lot of things about evolution." Rei replied. "Like how one like myself has a stone to evolve voluntarily, there is a stone that prevents evolution, called the Everstone. If I can find some Everstone, then we could work it down into charms or necklaces or the like, and use those to protect Pokémon from this forced evolution."

"I'll help look for some," Audino said. "Please, tell me what it looks like."

Rei considered. "They... are very plain. Grey, with a few pits, like a float stone. They're heavier, though." Rei stopped to think for a second, then dug through her pack of things she found she was still carrying.

"What are you-" Audino stopped when Rei triumphantly presented the stone she had picked up in the Altar of Serenity.

"This is an Everstone." Rei said simply.

"Amazing," Audino awed, holding the stone in her hands. "It's definitely heavier than a float stone, and I can feel this energy coming from it. Like the opposite of evolution energy." Her smile grew. "With a stone even just as big as you, we could protect the entire village!"

Rei thought for a moment. "I might be able to find one. I have to ask Tauros and Miltank, but the journey would probably be well worth it."

"I'm sure it would!" Audino agreed. "I'm here to help if you need me, Rei. Please do ask those two for their blessing to take the journey. I will come with you, if needs must." Rei smiled sweetly back.

"Thank you, Audino." Rei smiled. "Do you mind my taking the Everstone with me? I don't know for certain, but it might be why I was unaffected by the evolution energy you speak of."

"Yes, that's probably right!" Audino cried, handing the stone over quickly. "Be safe, Rei!"

Rei left with the duty of finding and carrying an Everstone the size of herself on her shoulders.


	5. Chapter 4

Miltank and Tauros seemed thrilled at the idea of finding the Everstone, and before she knew it Rei was told that they would leave the next morning.

"You'll be in charge, since you can protect yourself and the others," Miltank explained. "Please be careful, and if anything happens, go to the school to be under the protection of the Pokémon there, okay?"

"I understand," Rei agreed. "Remember, it's inside the Altar of Serenity, next to a few berries. I didn't run into any Pokémon like those in the forest while I was there, so you should be okay to search while you're in there." Tauros and Miltank took this information seriously.

"Be careful, and make sure those two don't get into too much trouble!" Tauros reiterated for the hundredth time that morning. After that, Miltank convinced him that everything would be okay, and she headed off, leaving Rei - who, incidentally, was the only one awake in the house at that moment in time - to watch the two residents that remained.

"So... what would Miltank do?" Rei asked herself, considering. She instinctively walked into the kitchen, a small room with a few cupboards and a furnace and pot, and decided breakfast was in the making. She saw some pre-made pancake mix and decided that was her best bet.

0~***~0

"Yo, Miltank!" Zaps called as he ran haphazard down the stairs. "Miltank?" He skidded around in a semi-circle and ended his course abruptly in front of the kitchen. A few seconds later Riolu came running around the corner as well, but slowed down enough to be at a stop before he hit Zaps.

"Where's Miltank? And Tauros?" Riolu asked, after staring at Rei for a few seconds uneventfully.

"Out, looking for an Everstone," Rei replied promptly. "I'm in charge today as a result. I hope you guys like pancakes." Zaps paid more attention to the second part, but Riolu questioned further.

"You. You're in charge, Rei?" He asked suspiciously.

"Check the billboard in the front room," Rei said, as she balanced a plate on her back. Zaps pranced up next to her and used his tail to help support the dish. Riolu duly did so, and as she had said, a small post-it note was on the billboard. He plucked it off and read it to himself.

 _To the boys;_

 _Tauros and I are out on very important business to get an item for the village. Rei is in charge today, since she has proven she can take care of herself, and the two of you. Be good now, and don't make mischief!_

 _Miltank_

Riolu sighed and turned back to help Rei and Zaps get their breakfast onto the table. It went much faster with someone who had actual hands to use, and they were soon ready to dig in.

Zaps finished first, and once he was done, he licked his lips and asked, "So, Rei, how'd you get to be in charge?"

Rei stopped and gulped what she was eating before replying. "I proved myself. Hyper Beam, remember?" Riolu and Zaps sent each other knowing looks. Then, without any notice, they leaped to their feet and ran for the door.

"Oi! Where do you think you're going?!" Rei asked, simultaneously forming a protect shield right at the doorway. Riolu and Zaps quickly found out the second reason Rei was in charge, and earned bruises on their heads as a result.

"We want to prove ourselves, too!" Zaps complained. Rei rolled her eyes.

"Fine, but I'm coaching you, because who knows what you'll try without guidance." The two perked up at that idea, and so Rei led them out to a small clearing not far away.

"Alright, this should do," Rei said, looking at the clearing approvingly. "So, we should probably work on things that are your element..." she turned to Zaps. "Where's that Thunderbolt TM?" Zaps dashed in an out of the house in a flash, and handed over the TM. Rei studied it for a moment before holding it right above Zaps's head for a moment.

"Whoa," He said simply, before shaking himself. "That felt weird."

"Come on, now try it!" Rei encouraged him. "you should know how to use Thunderbolt now!" Zaps nodded dubiously and focused on a particularly dead patch of ground. After a few seconds, a sudden yellow strike came flashing down, and hit directly where he had aimed. He fell backwards in shock.

"Good," Rei nodded, smiling. "We can practice after I sort out something for Riolu." She stared at him for a second, then turned to her bag and began to sort through it.

"What... are you looking for?" Riolu asked, after about a minute of Rei's frantic searching.

"Either a fighting-type TM, or a book I found yesterday that I swore I put in here," Rei replied, huffing as she threw an entire scarf full of berries behind her. "But it looks like both aren't here. Did you see where the blue book that said 'Aura of Heroes' on the front went?" Riolu sighed, ran into the house, and soon came back with the specified novel.

"How exactly is a fantasy adventure going to help me prove myself?" Riolu asked, after Rei had skimmed through the book no less than three times. Zaps had gone back to finish the Pancakes by this point.

"Aha!" She said, ignoring him. "Right here; it has a whole section about the techniques. Hold on, let's see... hm. Okay, I can teach you that," Rei announced, slamming the book shut. "Easy enough."

"What is it you're going to teach me?" Riolu inquired hopefully.

"If you don't already know any of them, let's see... Close Combat, Aura Sphere, Sky Uppercut, A less draining version of Superpower, and Giga Drain."

Riolu raised an eyebrow, or at least the muscle where an eyebrow would be. "Giga Drain?"

"Yes. Giga drain." Rei demonstrated on a nearby leaf, a small glow beginning to form between her and the leaf, until the leaf was a dead brown. "You just... pull life towards you. Like I did there. It's really easy, actually." She shrugged. "It's just accuracy you have to work on from there, which makes it more effective in battle."

Rei went about trying to explain and show Riolu just what she meant when she wanted him to 'pull life towards him'. He thought it was quite a concept to grasp, but once he had it down, he was able to even form little spheres of energy and launch them at things with perfect accuracy. Close combat was a matter of forming energy around oneself and pulsing it through his fists, and via that he learned Force Palm.

Sky Uppercut was harder.

"So, like I showed you," Rei ordered, after demonstrating for the third time what it looked like. "Remember, you just form aura in a tornado around air, and get it to spin. Then you've got an attack you can launch with your fist."

Riolu shook his head, then stared at the air in front of him. After a few seconds a howling wind built up, and after that he wound up his fist and launched it forward at breakneck speed into the nearest tree, which lost at least half of its leaves.

"I'm kind of glad nobody lives there," Rei commented. "I think that's enough practice. What do you say to going out into town for a bit? I want you to introduce me to some people." Riolu and Zaps had no argument, and so they left for the town square.

0~***~0

"Good Morning, Misters Kecleon!" Zaps called, dashing over.

"Good Morning, Zaps!" Called a green biped from behind a wooden stand. "Give me a moment, I was just sorting some of the apple stock when a whole bucket of berries fell over." A small head popped up over the counter of the semi-outdoors booth. "What can I do for you today?"

"We're showing a friend around town," Riolu replied calmly. He stepped aside and motioned Rei forward. "Rei, this is Kecleon and Kecleon. They run the item shop for adventurers and the locals." Rei nodded and shot the green Kecleon a smile before introducing herself.

"My name is Rei. It's a pleasure to meet you." The Kecleon took this very well.

"My, you're polite!" The Kecleon replied. "No need to be uptight, Rei. I'm Kecleon, and in a moment my partner Kecleon will be here to help out." Rei decided that she would just ignore people every time they said Kecleon from that day forward. It was starting to confuse her.

"Hello! Is it customers?" called a purple Kecleon. Rei stared at him for a moment, then shook herself.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met," Rei apologized politely. "My name is Rei." The purple Kecleon took this even better than his counterpart.

"Why, aren't you polite!" he exclaimed gleefully. "Much better than most of the youngsters that run about the village."

"Thank you," Rei said carefully. "I think I should be going, though. I still have yet to introduce myself to the Innkeeper over that way." She bowed slightly, trying to be polite, and dashed off, followed by Riolu and Zaps.

"Gee, you think I said something wrong?" asked the Kecleon the Elder as he packed away some TMs. Kecleon the Younger shrugged and went back to sorting berries.

0~***~0

"What was that all about?" Zaps asked once they were out of eyesight of the two shopkeepers.

"That Kecleon makes me nervous," Rei admitted. "So far most of the facts I can remember have proven to be true. Now, as far as I know, most Kecleon are green. It hurt my head trying to figure out how and why that Kecleon was purple." She shivered. "Where are we, now?"

"You're in the lobby of my inn, dearie," A voice that sounded vaguely like Miltank floated over. "I don't believe we've met. I'm Kangaskhan. And you?"

Rei looked up to meet the large Normal-type. "I'm Rei. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, dear!" The Kangaskhan replied. "I run this Inn, as well as holding items for people here in town. You can trust me." Rei looked doubtful, but Riolu followed up on that statement.

"She's right," Riolu said proudly. "All Kangaskhan are trustworthy. Especially Kangaskhan and her sister." His eyes began to glow with excitement. "Her sister's head item-keeper of the Truthmakers! It's a really important position and few even have a chance at getting it!"

"Yeah!" Zaps agreed. "The Truthmakers came here a year ago and asked her. It was sooo cool! Their top team came to meet her, and decided on the spot! It was amazing!"

Rei looked a bit bewildered. "I... see. That's... a very special achievement." She decided to act like she knew a bit about what was going on, even if she didn't. She didn't want to be rude.

After a minute of Kangaskhan chatting with the trio, she tramped back to her place behind the counter to serve some customers. Rei put her voice down to a whisper and asked, "Who... are the Truthmakers again? Audino said something about them, but I don't quite understand."

Riolu looked like he could faint then and there. Zaps looked like he wanted to go on a huge rant.

"Wait! Just... uh... hold on. Maybe I should just try and figure it out from someone who-" She was cut off when her two companions gabbed her on either side and began to race for the school, of all places.

0~***~0

"Hurry up! We have to have you see Abra!" Zaps called, dashing ahead without a sign of exhaustion. Rei mustered up some energy from somewhere and raced forward to match stride with Zaps, and they arrived very, very quickly.

"Here he is!" Riolu called from one of the tents. "Come on! Before he goes back to sleep!"

Rei dashed in and slid to a stop in front of a yellow Pokémon that floated in the air about a ruler's length off the ground. His head perked only very slightly, and he seemed to be in a meditative state.

"Abra? Cam you explain to this poor soul-" -Rei looked a bit disgruntled at this description - "-what your brother does, and what the Truthmakers are?"

 _Sure,_ a mental voice slithered into Rei's head. _The Truthmakers. They are a group of very honourable, powerful Pokémon, run by Virizion, Terrakion, and Cobalion. They spend their time doing tasks in Mystery Dungeons for the common folk. For example, hunting down criminals who hide in Mystery Dungeons._ He paused and floated upwards a few centimetres, then backwards onto a stool. He sat on the stool and continued.

 _My brother, Kaz, is one of these honourable, powerful Pokémon. He, along with his friends Houndoom and Aggron, are the top team of the Truthmakers._

He stopped, as if pausing to breathe.

 _Teams are groups of two to five that take on a dungeon. The average number is four, and five is an exception number for if someone requests guidance through a dungeon or a new member is recruited. It is far too dangerous to take on a dungeon by one's lonesome._ He grinned, his face bending into a smile. _Unless you're my brother, of course. He is too powerful for his own good._

"I see. So they're... Pokémon who have enough skill and power to go through dungeons... that decide to help people who can't?" Rei checked.

 _Yes. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'd like to sleep._

"Of course. Sorry to bother you." Rei said. Her only reply was a small smirk that spread across Abra's lips.

"Well, now that that's sorted out," Riolu said in relief as they left. "let's go home."

Zaps gained an evil look. "Race you!" He dashed off before Riolu could even say no.

"I'll catch up with you later, okay!?" Rei called as Riolu sprang into motion. She shook her head and began to head home.


	6. Chapter 5

Rei was just about to leave the plaza when she had this foreboding feeling. She charged an Aura Sphere, glad she'd made the effort to practice that morning, and turned around in a flash.

An Absol was standing above her, staring down at her incredulously. It shook itself, then performed a slight bow.

"I am Absol, one of the many messengers of Cresselia," Absol said with an airy tone. "I must pull you away from your regular activities to warn you of something vital." Rei nodded, deciding that she could always get away, and followed the Absol to a small, quieter corner of town.

"I have come to warn you of your fate," Absol said seriously. "I was unaware of how serious your problem was until I saw you in person. My apologies for staring earlier; I could barely believe what I was seeing." Rei nodded, slightly mollified but nonetheless suspicious.

"You are in grave danger," Absol began grimly. "This is what I can tell merely by glancing at you."

"Sorry to be rude," Rei interrupted, "but how... exactly... do you know?"

"A sixth sense, unique to Absol," Absol replied promptly. "I can sense future disasters. Tragedies that are to happen, dangers that dance around each person and thing like a storm of glowing strings." She shook her head. "I can barely look. Your future, in my eyes, is a tangled mess. Each string is moving and twisting with every movement you make, intertwining and separating like nothing I have ever seen before. I can barely tell anything about the chances that surround you."

"Alright," Rei said doubtfully. "is there anything else you can tell me?"

"Yes," Absol said after a moment. "The biggest chance of all that I can see is one related to one named Raoul. I cannot see farther than that, I'm afraid."

"I see." Rei looked down. "What to do about all this...?"

"No! Stop!" Absol admonished, and Rei snapped up form her thoughts. She sighed in relief. "I'm sorry. Some of the ideas you had must have... a strong effect on your future. It began to swirl wildly, and I could barely see you." Rei sighed.

"I will try to help," Absol comforted. "and I am sure my fellow Absol can help you. But I beg of you; may I follow you? From a distance. I want to be able to warn you if you try to do something that may topple your chances." Rei considered.

"I'm sorry," Rei admitted. "I'm new to this place, and I have never met an Absol before. I hope you'll forgive my being doubtful. I'd like to check with my friends first."

Absol's eyes narrowed, but she said, "Alright. Yes, that is a good idea. I understand."

"Thank you." Rei replied. "Once I have made my decision, I will hope to find you in the plaza. Goodbye." Rei ran off quickly, feeling a bit unnerved by the whole business, and went home.

0~***~0

"So she said you were in danger, Rei?" Zaps repeated, after Rei had told her story.

"That's serious," Riolu continued. "But Absol are allies of Cresselia, so it's a good idea to follow her advice."

Rei nodded. "Thanks. I'm afraid that I don't know much of anything about this place, and where I come from, Absol do not predict disasters; they merely are heralds of disaster. People generally avoid them fro health and safety purposes."

"Really?" Zaps inquired. "That's strange."

"Then again," Rei continued, "Maybe the Absol had sensed the disaster and were merely scaring people away so that they wouldn't get hurt."

"That makes sense," Riolu agreed. "But you should definitely agree to that Absol's offer. She's probably the best defensive measure you're going to get."

"Alright. If you both think so, I guess there's no point not doing so. But actually..." she thought for a moment, then decided to ask anyway. "how does Cresselia fit into all this?"

"You don't know?" Zaps said disbelievingly.

"I'm foreign," Rei reminded him. "No idea."

Riolu decided to explain. "Cresselia is our ruler," Riolu began. "She is our queen, or goddess, in a way, except we know she exists because we've seen her." Riolu looked faraway. "She is a Pokémon that does her best to make dreams come true."

"Then there's Darkrai," Zaps hissed slightly. "He gives people nightmares. I don't like him." Riolu agreed heartily to this.

"I don't have dreams." Rei stated simply. "Never have. Not while I'm asleep, anyway, if that's what you mean."

Riolu and Zaps blinked.

"Say what?"

"Well, yeah, I was expecting that," Rei shrugged. "It isn't normal, even where I come from, but no biggie." Riolu and Zaps decided to accept that at face value.

Just then, a loud rapping was heard at the door, and Rei got up to answer it.

"Hello?"

Rei smiled and let in Tauros and Miltank, who were carrying a positively huge Everstone on their backs. They dropped it on the floor of the dining room and decided that was good enough.

"Whew!" Miltank gasped. "That was hard work, but it will be worth it."

"No kidding," Tauros heaved, sitting down. "I am not looking forward to setting this up in the plaza tomorrow."

"What's happening tomorrow?" Rei asked, as she put glasses of water on the table for both of them.

Miltank finished hers first and explained. "We have yet to put this up in the village. Tomorrow some of the villagers will help us erect it as a statue in the center of the Plaza." She stopped and went to get another glass of water.

"Which means you're in charge again, Rei." Tauros finished, licking his lips. "By the way, what did you all do today?"

"We spent the morning training out the back, and the afternoon walking around the village." Rei summarized.

"Training?" Tauros asked.

"Yeah!" Zaps said, tail wagging. "She showed me how to use a TM, and I learned Thunderbolt!"

"I learned a lot more," Riolu added proudly. "Sky Uppercut and Aura Sphere are just the highlights." Tauros looked impressed.

"This is true?"

"They're right." Rei confirmed. "I hope to do so again tomorrow. It's the best way for them to learn how to protect themselves. Plus, I learned some new things too." She showed off by twirling an Aura Sphere in one paw.

0~***~0

"We'll be in the plaza if you need us!" Miltank called, waving at the trio who were waving back.

"See you Miltank!" Zaps called, grinning.

"So, what now?" Rei asked. "I don't have anything planned today."

"Oh, oh, I know!" Zaps said eagerly. "You can meet our friends in the village! We haven't seen them since school let out a week ago!"

"I agree," Riolu said, smiling. "We can see Ralts." He seemed to drift off a bit.

"Riolu. Don't forget everyone else." Zaps groaned in a dry tone. Riolu shook himself.

"Of course. Right. Introduce Rei to Ralts-"

"Everyone. Not just Ralts." Zaps interrupted.

"Right," Riolu agreed, not really listening. Rei laughed.

0~***~0

"Here's where Joltik lives," Riolu announced, standing in front of a small thatch hut.

Rei tilted her head. It didn't look like anyone was inside...

Just then, a small voice called, "Down here, Silly!"

Rei immediately took a few steps back and stared down at the critter which was about one eighth her size.

"Geez!" She cringed. "You're worse than most people! I'm big, as far as Joltik go!"

"I'm sorry," Rei said sheepishly. "I've never met a Joltik before."

"Forgiven!" Joltik called, leaping onto Rei's back. "Wow, your fur is soft!"

"Thank you," Rei said, more out of being polite than anything.

"C'mon!" Joltik called, pointing determinedly at a house not far away. "You haven't met Helioptile yet, right?"

0~***~0

"Hi!" the biped, who was about the same size as Rei, said once they were introduced. "It's nice to meet you."

"Same here," Rei smiled, nearly shaking Joltik off in the process.

"Watch it!" She squealed, red eyes flashing angrily. "Don't forget I'm here!"

"Sorry," Rei cringed. "As I said, never had someone riding on my back before."

"Forgiven!" Joltik decided.

Helioptile smiled. "She's like that," He explained. "You get used to it." He looked around, his droopy ears moving violently with his slight movements. "Hey, have you met Aipom yet?"

"No," Rei admitted.

"He's nearly as bad as those two," Helioptile grinned, pointing at Riolu and Zaps. "But he's fun."

"Hey! Not without me!" yelled a young, panicked voice. The fluttering of wings were heard, and a Noibat perched himself precariously on Helioptile's head. "I want to go too."

"Not yet, Neo," Helioptile admonished. "You still need to practice flying, and I need to talk with my friends, too. Go on back in." Noibat grumbled, but he flew back inside, crashing into a pillow strapped to the wall with tape.

"This happens every day," Helioptile commented, beating Joltik to the punch.

"I see," Rei said, a bit unsure how to react.

0~***~0

"I'm sorry," Lopunny said, bowing. "Aipom isn't home. His cousin Buneary is, though!"

"That's alright," Rei smiled, returning the gesture.

A Buneary poked a delicate head out from one room. "Mother? What's going on out there?"

"Some of Aipom's friends-" Lopunny began.

"Understood!" Buneary called back. "They're wreaking havoc again, aren't they?"

"No, and would you let me finish a sentence for once?" Lopunny grumbled. "They wanted to introduce a new friend of theirs to him."

"Oh," Buneary said quietly, before rushing out. "I'm sorry. I just assumed-"

"It's alright," Rei interrupted. "I understand." As she said this, she put up a protect shield to stop Zaps zapping her, and a thunderbolt that was twice as powerful as the one he sent sailed back at him. He was launched back a few meters, but luckily for him, he was an Electric type, and the attack didn't do much actual damage.

"Let's just go meet Pichu." Riolu suggested.

0~***~0

Pichu turned out to be the youngest of five brothers, two of which were fully evolved and one of which was in his middle stage.

"Hi!" Pichu little said ecstatically.

"Welcome!" Pichu Big, his older brother and the second youngest, added.

"Hello," Rei said politely.

"Are you goin' to go to school with Little?" Pichu Big asked. "I graduated last year." He seemed proud.

"I don't know yet," Rei admitted, "But probably yeah."

"Yay!" Pichu little exclaimed.


	7. Announcement

Hey-o readers! Hopefully you're enjoying the story so far!

I want to begin by thanking everyone. I was wary at first, but I'm glad to see this story's taking off!

Second, I want to announce that this story is partially interactive. While the main storyline is set up, quests (or missions, or the like) as well as COTD (Characters of the day) will be made upon suggestion from readers in the reviews. By all means, do not be shy to post an idea! If you have a character you'd like to be in the story, or a scenario you think wold fit well, then feel free to say so in reviews or PM me personally!

Any and all suggestions are welcome. Flames will be used to cook a turkey for Christmas Dinner.

Yum.

Please note that chapters are written in advance, and that your suggestions may not show up for a few chapters after your review is posted. I also may deem a quest worthy of being later in the story instead.

I hope you're enjoying the story, and please do tell me if there's anything I can do to improve it!

Thank you for your time, and regularly scheduled chapters will return tomorrow.

Happy Holidays, whatever you celebrate. Now is a time for festivities!


	8. Chapter 6

The next day marked the first day of school for Rei. She remembered school being part of her former life, and she knew that she would probably need certain things - a lunch, something to write with, the usual things that came to mind when she thought of school. She wrapped a lunch in a scarf and decided that was enough for the first day.

Getting up early, she stretched, walked downstairs, and found the place abandoned.

 _Shoot,_ she thought to herself. _I must be late._ And so, she left the house and ran for school. Being late was the last thing she wanted.

"What' got your fur in a kerfuffle?" Kecleon called as she flashed past.

"School!" Rei called back, before setting off at an even faster pace than before.

She slowed down as the gates came into view. She saw Audino standing at the gates, holding a wooden stick. She loped over in a half-run.

"Am I late?" Rei asked hurriedly.

"Not at all, dear," Audino said in surprise. "You're the first one here."

"Wait, what?" Rei looked up at the sky, where the sun rode high. "But it's already nine!"

Audino looked briefly confused, then decided to dismiss it. "There's still a huge gap of time between now and when we begin to expect Pokémon," Audino explained. "When the sun is about there-ish." She pointed to a place about a ruler's length away from where the sun was.

"So school doesn't start until ten?" Rei asked, and Audino nodded, though she wasn't certain.

"You can stay here until school starts," Audino suggested.

"I guess that's my best option," Rei admitted, and she walked through the gates into a small paddock, where she experimented with tackle attacks on some convenient trees.

About thirty minutes later, Rei heard the trickling of voices begin to flow from the gate, and she stopped hitting the tree (by now, she was hitting it with a varied version of Extremespeed, and it was looking near collapsing). Stretching, she sensed a presence behind her and turned around.

She was faced with someone who really looked quite lovely. Her eyes were a deep, calm hazel, and they were almost completely covered by a blue cap-like thing which ran from her head to just below her eyes. She looked like she was wearing a white gown that was a bit too big, and it all came together to make a rather pretty Ralts.

"Uh, Hello," She said shyly. "Who are you?"

"My name is Rei," Rei replied sweetly. "I presume you're Ralts?"

"Yes," Ralts admitteed, surprised. "Someone told you about me?"

"Riolu," Rei confirmed. "Anyway, it's nice to meet you. I'll be going to this school for a while, so if I'm not mistaken, we may be seeing more of each other."

Ralts accepted this. "What were you doing? I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"Practicing." Rei demonstrated by crunching up, then leaping forward and hitting the tree hard enough that an Eevee-sized crater was left behind.

"...Whoops," Rei said sheepishly. Ralts looked a bit shocked, then thoughtful.

"Hold on," Ralts requested. "I'll be back." She skittered off as fast as she could, and Rei considered for a moment.

 _Well, I'm not from Hoenn, so it's not my business knowing,_ Rei thought. _But I swore Ralts had green caps. And most of them have red eyes or black, not hazel._ She shook the thought from her mind. _Not like it matters to me. I shouldn't discriminate._

Ralts came back over, huffing. "Phew. I'll be showing you around today, I got Audino's permission," She explained. Rei smiled at her, stretched, and walked off to wait for Riolu and Zaps to arrive.

As she waited, a few familiar faces went past, including Joltik and Helioptile, Noibat and Buneary. A purple-and-tan Pokémon with a long tail came by, swinging from the trees with his extra limb, and she waved at him as he went past. She looked back and saw a pair of Pokémon headed for the gates.

The first Pokémon appeared to be a Sneasel. Sharp white claws were a stark difference to night-black fur, and a red feather shot up out of his head. He chatted to a smaller Pokémon which seemed to be a Murkrow. The Murkrow was a black-feathered Pokémon with a glistening beak and sharp eyes that danced with mischief. She glided alongside him, using dark energies which Rei could barely identify to shape the wind as she wished.

From a glance, it was obvious these two wanted to look threatening; Rei knew she had seen Murkrow and Sneasel before, but they were never this menacing. Then again, it might have been her size speaking, so she shook it off.

"Oh?" the Sneasel said confidently, with a slight sharpness in his voice. "Who might this pretty lady be?"

"My name is Rei," Rei said simply, not bothering to go any further. She already didn't like his attitude; his tone of voice was enough to tell he wasn't here to compliment her.

"Rei, eh?" the Murkrow commented. She flew around Rei calmly, trying to push some of the dark energy towards her. Rei put up a very gentle, near-invisible protect shield to get rid of the bother. The Murkrow's eyes narrowed, and she said nothing more.

"I presume you are Sneasel and Murkrow?" Rei asked, after the two made it clear they would not budge.

Sneasel seemed surprised. "How did you know?"

"Well," Rei said airily, "I have a way with these things." Plus, they were mostly named after their species name. It was kind of sad, actually.

"No matter," Murkrow said, flitting down to the ground next to Sneasel. "are you a new student?"

"Yes."

"Oh? Where do you live?" Sneasel asked, as he tried to act 'cool'. He was obviously trying to impress her, and it wasn't working in the slightest.

Rei snorted. "You're both idiots if you think I'm just going to answer that without knowing who you are." They seemed to shrink under the harsh language, but it would take more than that to deter them.

The argument went back and forth for an age, until finally, Rei found a way out.

"Heyyy!" Zaps called, running a breakneck speed.

"Rei!" Riolu called, going equally as fast with less effort but nonetheless breathing heavy.

"Hello, you two!" Rei called back, glad that she had a chance to escape. "Why didn't you tell me school wasn't starting for a long time? I got up early!"

"We wondered!" Riolu said grouchily, slowing down and breathing hard. "We spent the morning looking for you."

"Correction," Sneasel pitched in. "You spent the morning making mischief." Riolu looked honestly offended, but Rei caught a glint in his eye that told her that Sneasel was downright lying.

"Come now," Sneasel beckoned. "Don't waste your time on these jokers. We'll show you around."

"I already have someone to show me around, but thanks," Rei said politely, pattering over to stand next to Riolu.

""Really? Those losers?" Murkrow commented, acting as if Riolu and Zaps weren't even there. "I don't care what they've made you think, but honestly. These troublemakers?"

Rei had had enough. She let energy build up inside her. One more insult and-

"Please. He's ugly," Sneasel scoffed. "Let me show you around. He'll just embarrass a lovely visage such as yours."

Rei snapped.

Her eyes began to glow red, obverse to moments ago when her eyes were the picture of calm.

"Uh, Rei?" Riolu said, touching her shoulder delicately. "It's okay if you want to go with them..." He stopped, partially because heat began to rise, and he couldn't bear to touch her fur anymore. He lost his words.

"I think I've had enough of you two," Rei said, her voice almost mechanical. "I don't take kindly to those who insult my friends."

Sneasel looked concerned, then shrugged.

"Fijne, be that way," he grumbled, "but when people treat you like a loser-GURK!"

He lost his breath as Rei flashed forward with a corona of fire enveloping her. A few seconds later, he fell to his knees, unable to stand, and Rei sat down again.

"Ignore them," Rei insisted to her friends. "They're idiots, that's what." She took to her seat not far away in a clearing set with tables and a chalkboard, and after a moment of staring dubiously, Riolu and Zaps followed suit. Sneasel was left to lie in the field, looking worse than he had in a while.

0~***~0

"Alrighty," Stoutland commented after a few moments, checking his papers were right. "Good morning, everyone!"

"Good Morning!" Chorused the class, though Rei decided not to join in save a gentle 'hello'.

"Today, we have a new student joining us," He continued, "Who you may have met already! She was rescued from the Deep Woods a few days ago by Miltank and Tauros. I hope that you will grow to be friends." He motioned for her to come forward, and there was the chatter of voices as she took stance next to the long-furred Pokémon and shortly introduced herself.

"Hello," she said simply. "as he said, I'm Rei. I hope we can be friends." Zaps grinned at her, and she smiled back. "I may not be very revealing about myself, but I don't mean anything by it, so don't take offense if I deem a question too revealing." There was a short silence, followed by general agreement that this was okay. Rei inwardly breathed relief.

 _Phew. At least I don't have to explain being human to a bunch of kids._

"Rei, you can take the seat next to Murkrow, over there," Stoutland said, pointing to the back-row seat. Rei cantered over and sat down next to Murkrow - but, more importantly, next to Ralts, who was on her other side.

"Thank Cresselia you were put next to me," Ralts whispered after Stoutland began going on about some storybook. "I thought I'd spend my entire life next to those buffoons." She shook her head. "You know, they try to hit on me, and there's nothing I can do because my only attack is Psychic-type. They won't listen to a word I say."

Rei shot her a grin. "I doubt they'll be ignoring you while I'm around."

0~***~0

Rei began her recess talking to Ralts about different attacks a Ralts could learn, and had begun teaching her a basic Quick Attack, when Sneasel made his second approach.

"Hello, Ralts," he said with a sickly pleasantness that stung to hear. "May I have today's recess with you?"

"No," Ralts said, though her voice wavered. "Rei is teaching me how to defend myself."

"Why, I'm here to protect you!" Sneasel exclaimed in mock horror.

"You needn't worry," Murkrow added from her perch in a nearby tree.

"You... You stop bullying her into it!" Riolu said, running over, though his voice shook. "She doesn't want to, and that's that!" Rei noticed that Ralts seemed to look at Riolu different, and quickly came to a conclusion.

Sneasel snorted. "Aren't you the bully here?" Riolu looked seriously taken aback, but he stood his ground.

"This is getting ridiculous," Rei said, shaking her head. "Why all the elementary school tactics?"

Everyone stared at her at once.

She sighed and continued. "You're all idiots. Riolu, just use Aura Sphere or something. Sneasel should learn that if you try and manipulate people, they'll bite you back." Sneasel regained his confidence.

"Riolu doesn't know Aura Sphere," He proclaimed. "If fact, he can't fight at all." Riolu's eyes glowed, as he considered using what Rei had taught him.

"Go ahead, Riolu," Rei continued. "I'll take the blame if anything happens. This guys deserves to take a punch to the face. Your honours." Riolu made up his mind and flashed forward, releasing a force palm into Sneasel. Sneasel promptly fell over. Ralts looked somewhere between surprised and overjoyed.

Rei felt a wind approach their back, and she put up a Counter which launched Murkrow back into the tree she flew down from.

"Told you," Rei smirked. "Nobody messes with us." Just then, Sneasel and Murkrow recovered, and they closed in.

"Us. Against you. Now." Sneasel seethed. Rei gave him a curt nod, and Ralts ran for cover. Riolu took a fighting stance. Murkrow and Sneasel came to stand at the other side.

"HALT!"

Stoutland dashed in, fur flying behind him, and Rei saw the other three loosen. She retained her fighting stance, and was able to counter a Scary Face aimed at her.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Stoutland roared.

"Sneasel was being mean, sir," Ralts butted in. "to me. And Rei and Riolu decided to protect me."

"You four shouldn't be getting into fights in the first place!" Stoutland admonished, and Sneasel, Murkrow and Riolu visibly flinched. Rei seemed uninterested, but paid rapt attention nonetheless.

"Rei, from what Tauros and Miltank told me, I figured you'd be a good egg." He grumbled. "Don't make me change my mind."

Rei stared at him, slight winds picking up around her.

Stoutland, to everyone's surprise, took a step back.

"What?" He said, after a moment. He shook himself. "Young lady, I expect more of a reaction than that. You should feel bad about what might have happened." Rei took pleasure in the fact that she could manage a Whirlwind attack.

"Indeed," Rei commented. "though I already knew that it would be safe, it would be silly to assume it would be alright to just engage in a battle in the middle of a schoolyard. I apologize." Stoutland stopped.

"I accept your apology," He said slowly, after a few seconds. "But I would like to borrow you for a moment. And nobody better be starting fights while I'm talking to Rei!" He growled, making everyone recoil.

0~***~0

"Here we are," Stoutland announced, after giving the clearing a good glare. He walked with purpose to the other edge of the field.

"Now," he announced. "Come at me."

"Say what?" Rei asked, taken aback.

"I know that no child would just challenge Sneasel and Murkrow like that," Stoutland continued.

"They challenged us," Rei countered. "But very well." She crunched herself, then flew forward in an Extremespeed, faking out to the right the moment before she hit. Stoutland jumped, and as he did, launched himself onto a one-way trip into Rei's attack.

Stoutland fell over, coughed, then held up a paw in defeat. Rei grinned, glad her prediction had been correct.

"Sir?"

Stoutland coughed and got up. "Now I see," He sighed. "Do you mind being demonstrative battler for today? You just need to help some of our troubled students learn new moves, and how to battle." Rei nodded.

"Good. And keep this between you and me," Stoutland admitted, "But I'm aware Zaps, Ralts and Riolu get bullied. But, as a teacher, I'm not allowed to lay a paw on any student, even if they are bullies, so I can't hammer it into their heads that they can't do things like that. I hope your performance today in Battle Ed will make them believe you're a force to be reckoned with, because then you can help me protect those poor kids."

"I understand," Rei smiled. "Don't worry; I'm sure I can prove my worth. What I used on you is a token of what my full potential is."


	9. Chapter 7

"Listen up, and make it snappy!" Snapped Meowstic, the Battle Ed teacher. All the students, except for a certain pair, made it clear that they were listening.

"Sneasel, Murkrow, I won't repeat this! LISTEN UP!" Meowstic growled, ventually getting a satisfactory amount of attention.

"Now! Today we are working on movement techniques!" She began, and everyone began to sense the beginning of a rant.

"Hey, where's Rei?" Zaps whispered to Riolu.

"I don't know," Riolu admitted. "I just hope Stoutland isn't too hard on her. I never should have let her accept that battle challenge." They quivered under a sharp glance from Meowstic, and decided to stay silent. Luckily, they didn't have to worry about their friend for long.

"And now for the battle demonstration of Extremespeed, something I hope most of you will learn once this class draws to a close," Meowstic announced. Sneasel was about to get up when his teacher signaled elsewhere.

"Rei?"

Rei hopped daintily out of the bushes from where Stoutland had taken her, and the two exchanged a nod. Stoutland came behind her and did the same, whispering something in Meowstic's ear. She perked considerably, then moved to a battle pose at the other end of the field.

"Wait, she isn't planning on battling Rei herself, is she?" Buneary commented from one end of the yard. A round of chattering went up, but soon quiet resumed.

Then, in a burst of motion, Rei flashed out of the way of a Psychic and came to spin in a wide circle around Meowstic. Doing little hops and jumps, she easily dodged every attack the teacher lobbed at her. Oohs and Aahs were heard, but Rei didn't pay them any mind. A glow around her fur dissipated, and Meowstic grinned. Then, she dashed out of the way as Rei stopped and the eerie glow returned.

Then, all of a sudden, Rei launched herself at Meowstic, knocking her over, and a Dazzling Gleam rendered her unable to battle on. Carefully, Rei tread off her teacher and shook herself clean of the sparkles remaining from the fairy-type attack, sitting down and patiently waiting for Meowstic to recover.

"I underestimated you," Meowstic managed, working her way to her feet with the aid of her psychic abilities. "A performance I certainly will not forget." she turned to her class, seemingly recovered, and began to bark out notes for the other Pokémon to take down.

"Got all that?" Meowstic called after a few minutes of lectures and note-taking. "Good. Now, I want each of you to try using Extremespeed - not just as an attack, but as a movement tactic, like we explained last class. Split into groups of two. Rei, you will go around and help everyone, alright?" Rei nodded in understanding, and the groups got to work.

Zaps ran over the moment he got a chance. "Rei! That was amazing! How did you do it?"

"I used Extremespeed," Rei replied. "It wasn't that hard." Zaps looked awed for a moment.

"I can teach you guys until someone needs my help," She suggested, and they immediately got to work. Barely five minutes later, Zaps and Riolu were sparring with the light of Extremespeed surrounding them. Zaps had even began adjusting it to work with his electricity. Rei moved on to Buneary and Joltik, who were having the most problems, and sorted them out, pointing out how they had to adjust for their size and form.

"Over here!" Sneasel called, waving. Rei sighed and apologized before dashing over. As she approached, she felt an alien energy growing, and instinctively put up a Protect shield. It didn't work quite as planned, and Sneasel's claw was caught in the shield, barely inches away from Rei's face.

"What's this now!?" Meowstic yelled, and Rei put in the effort to hold her Protect shield for a few moments longer. Meowstic saw, and Rei loosened her mental grip on the shield as Meowstic dashed over.

"You two, I swear... Head home. I have a call to make to the head office." She glared at them, but they didn't budge.

"What can you do to us?" Murkrow mocked. "You're just a Psychic type."

"I'm not," Rei said, acting stronger than she was. Murkrow seemed a bit nervous, but held her ground. Unluckily for her.

A few seconds later Sneasel and Murkrow felt what it was like to get an Aura Sphere to the face.

0~***~0

"Rei, I do hope that this isn't too draining," Meowstic said, after talking to the harried parents of the two offenders. Rei was sitting on the two of them and had a Protect shield sustained around them.

"Not at all," Rei lied. She didn't want the two troublemakers to think she was tired, because it would mean that they would probably try to get out.

"If you say so," Meowstic said doubtfully. "Just be careful."

A few minutes later, they were led away by their families in shame. Rei stretched and sighed in relief.

"That... was a bit draining," Rei admitted, yawning. "Maybe I should rest at the medical hut."

"You do that, Rei," Meowstic encouraged. "You deserve some rest after all that's happened today."

Rei nodded, but she only got a few steps. After seeming fine, a rush of exhaustion hit her, and she collapsed.

0~***~0

"Are you sure she'll be okay, Tauros?" Zaps asked, running up alongside him. Rei was draped over his back, and they were heading home.

"I'm sure," Tauros replied, calmly. Rei was his friend, after all. It was only natural he'd be worried. Riolu came up on the other side and laid a paw on her back.

Miltank glanced up from her thoughts. "Don't do that, child," she said.

"It makes me feel better," Riolu said firmly. "I don't care what comes of it. I just want to feel she's still okay."

"We'll put her to bed, and you'd better leave her be after that, okay?" Miltank requested. Riolu agreed to this reluctantly, but stayed firm on holding his hand on her until the moment they got home.

0~***~0

Rei felt... sleepy. Like she'd been asleep for a very long time, and only now were the dregs of sleepiness slipping away. She felt a deep air of darkness around her, power testing her fur, and she protested into it.

Then, all of a sudden, she felt unbearable pain. All she could feel, all around her, nothing but pain, dreadful **Pain.** And, in the lost feeling that pain gave her, she heard her inner-most instincts tell her what to do.

 _RUN._

And so she ran. She felt slight pulses, like she was banging into things, but she didn't care. She just turned and ran again. Again and again, trying to escape.

 _JUMP. RUN, RUN, RUN..._

Rei jumped, pushing force into every ounce of her body and trying to launch the darkness away, get rid of the pain. She felt something break in her way, felt something give in front of her, and heard the shattering of glass. The sound of feet, her own feet, pattering against wet ground. She pulsed out darkness with every step, just trying to get rid of the everlasting **pain.**

Then, at the height of her run, she felt the fluidity of water touch her fur, turning it into a sopping mess. She dove deeper, swimming, pulsing the darkness out in great orbs. Then, hitting the surface and crying out, she gasped for air as she pedaled, tying to doggy-paddle her way back. She felt her strength leaving her, and she desperately begged for it to stay, even if it was only long enough to get rid of the pain.

Then, out of nowhere, she felt a new presence in her senses, something greater than the pain. She swam blindly towards it, only hoping something would work, and soon she felt herself enveloped by a green glow of purity.

" _Not yet,"_ A gentle mental voice, young and pure, rang out. " _Soon, we will meet, and you will learn of your destiny."_

And then the pain was gone, Rei could see, and she was paddling in the middle of the lake a short ways out of town.

She shook herself and leaped onto shore eagerly, shaking out the water that logged her fur. She sighed in relief and let herself fall to the ground, resting after the panic. The stars twinkled at her, and she hummed to herself as she calmed down. Soft notes made her feel like she could rest without fear.

Then, in the sharp clarity of the moment, she felt something prod her, as if it had been there all along but only now did she notice it.

So she pulled.

0~***~0

 _"But Mother, they won't go away!" she cried, hopelessness in her voice. She already knew her answer._

 _"They are gone. Now sleep." The taller figure, her mother, closed the door, and she was left in darkness, to cry until daylight pierced the sky. It was all she could do to purge her exhaustion, for she knew that, if she fell asleep, the pain would return._

 _Sighing, the sound of something done many a time before, she sat down on her bed and looked out her window, staring at the stars._

 _And she began to hum to herself, to keep herself calm._

0~***~0

For those outside the moment, nothing happened. Time moved on. But for Rei, she felt like a shard of her life had returned to her, to comfort her. She got up, feeling stronger, and walked back towards the village.

If she hurried, she could get to her home with the others before anyone noticed she had been gone.

0~***~0

In the shadows of a bush, red eyes narrowed. Failure was expected, occasionally, but the owner of the eyes had hoped it would work better. It had been so close, until that meddling greenie had showed up.

 _Well, I just have to get rid of her, then,_ thought the eyes.

Then they were gone.


	10. Chapter 8

Rei didn't get back before people woke up, and she realized later that obviously a randomly broken window wasn't going to just slip past people's thought. She was merely glad to get back in one piece, considering what happened.

"What did happen?" She wondered to herself, as she got into the plaza. Things like that didn't just happen. She glanced up at the Everstone that was in the center of the plaza, sighed, and kept walking.

She was slightly alarmed that a Magnezone was floating in front of Miltank's house and conversing with Tauros. Zaps and Riolu were talking worriedly until Riolu noticed Rei coming. He said something to all the Pokémon there and ran over to her.

"Rei!" he cried, tears in his eyes. Rei blinked at him in surprise. "What happened? Wh-Where did you go?!" After saying that, he broke down into tears and Rei was smothered by fourty-four pounds of blue-black Pokémon.

"Riolu... you weigh three times as much as me..." Rei commented from where she was. "Please get off." Riolu duly did so, but that didn't stop him sobbing into her fur.

"I AM GLAD TO SEE THAT ALL IS WELL," said the Magnezone. "I AM INSPECTOR ION. PLEASE CALL IF ANYTHING COMES UP AGAIN." Ion dipped his being in a polite, floaty bow, and then he was off to elsewhere.

"Rei!" Tauros called, running over and trampling some greenery. "Come inside. We have much to discuss." Rei decided that that was a good idea, and they walked inside into the dining room.

"Rei, we were so worried," Miltank sobbed, holding Rei close.

"I think I knew that from the moment I saw the inspector," Rei mumbled through Miltank's skin.

"Be serious with us, now," Tauros said grimly. "What happened to you?"

Rei felt Miltank let go, and she sat down at the dining table. "I believe I need to think it through a bit myself," Rei admitted. "But I'll describe it, if I can."

Everyone gathered around the table to listen.

"I think I woke up in the middle of the night," Rei began. "I say 'I think' because I have a feeling I was half-asleep when it started. I... had this horrible feeling," Rei shivered, "Where I was in darkness. Then, from all directions, this omnipresent pain came in, and I could barely think." She pulled on the muscles in her paws, feeling the contraction. "All I felt was that I had to get away, so I ran. At some point I jumped and smashed the window, and I just kept running for a really long time, trying to get the pain to leave me alone."

Miltank moved in next to her in a motherly way, and put a hoofed hand on Rei's back, mostly to reassure herself.

"The next thing I remember was jumping into the lake," Rei continued, "Which is why my fur feels so damp. I felt a presence there, a sort of light, and went towards it, and it sort of... ate the darkness, pushed it out of the way." Rei smiled at the memory. "I think there was someone there helping me, but I didn't see who it was."

Rei stopped, then decided it was worth telling them. "I felt like I remembered something of who I was, before I showed up at the Altar of Serenity. A memory triggered by the situation." She smiled. "It was a good memory."

"I'm glad you seem okay now," Riolu said honestly.

"Me too," Zaps added. "It was scary, you not being there and the window being broken."

Miltank paced around Rei in a concerned manner, before finally announcing, "You must stay home for the weekend. Just look at how horrible this is! You've got fur missing, and you've got some scrapes, and you look like you sunk to the bottom of the ocean and back!"

0~***~0

"Stay safe, Rei!" Zaps called as he headed for school. Riolu waved, though his expression was sad.

"I will!" She called back. "And remember, you two, don't be afraid to show those bullies who's boss!" Riolu grinned, forgetting his earlier sorrow, and the two disappeared on the horizon. Rei sighed, went back inside the house, and opened her pack again. There was something she wanted to do.

Walking over to her room upstairs, she dragged out a pile of things from under her bed. She sorted through the TMs until she found something she wanted.

"Mystical fire," She murmured. "Convenient, if you're trying to put a very thin hole into a stone." Eevee didn't usually learn Mystical Fire, but Rei didn't particularly care. She could learn Hyper Beam, she could learn Mystical Fire.

She spent the next hour or so with her Everstone, the TM, and a thin jet of fire coming from her, which she was using to put a hole into the stone. She finally finished after an hour of solid effort, and stopped for a moment to breathe. Then she put the Everstone in her Pecha-Scarf backpack, and got up. She had someone she needed to talk to. It occurred to her that it was a good thing Tauros and Miltank were out talking to Magnezone and his policemen about what had happened to her.

She followed her tracks in her mind until she got to the hut that she knew belonged to Joltik. She remembered from her pool of out-of-nowhere knowledge that Joltik were part bug-type, and were known to produce a strong string. She hoped it was polite enough to ask for some.

Knock. Knock.

"Hello!" Joltik's chirpy voice rang out from above. "I'm up here, silly!" Rei looked up, and a small yellow bug hit her nose.

"'Ello," Rei said, snuffing. Joltik ran up her forehead and onto her back.

"What brings you here?" Joltik asked.

Rei smiled. "A little project of mine. I was hoping you could help." Joltik raised an eyebrow - an admirable feat for a small electric bug - and perked a furry ear.

"See this?" Rei said once she showed Joltik the Everstone. "It prevents evolution. It's a countermeasure to what's been going on recently." Rei shivered. "I do not want that to happen again."

Joltik looked concerned. "Hey, that's right! You look awfully damp, and some fur's missing. What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Rei admitted. "But I think it's that evolution-y aura that's been going around. I'm highly evolution-based, so I guess it got to me when I let my guard down." Rei's eyes narrowed. "I don't want to go swimming again."

"What can I do?" Joltik inquired.

"I was going to turn this into a necklace," Rei said, showing Joltik the small hole that had been burned into the rock. "but I couldn't find any string."

"Oh, I get it!" Joltik squeaked. "You want me to use string shot so you can get some string, so then you can string the Everstone and wear it so you're protected!"

"Is that okay with you?" Rei asked.

"Of course!" Joltik agreed, and quick as a flash, she hopped down next to the Everstone and sent a string through it. She shimmied backwards and continued for a bit until it was the right length, then stopped.

"That good?" She asked.

"Yes, thank you!" Rei replied, picking up the two ends. "Now I just have to get Riolu to tie this together, and then..."

"Oh, I can do that," Joltik announced, hopping on Rei's head and taking the two ends. She moved a bit, and quick as a flash, they were tied.

"Thank you again," Rei said, as Joltik moved back so that the necklace would already be on her neck.

"No problem!" Joltik squeaked. "Ask any time!"

"I'd better go home now, or Miltank will get worried," Rei admitted. "Thank you." She waved and headed back home.

0~***~0

Riolu got home early and walked inside to see Rei sleeping on the carpet in front of the kitchen. He poked her, and she immediately woke up, revealing she had a necklace around her neck with a very plain stone.

"Oh, sorry, I got tired," Rei apologized, getting up. "I went to visit Joltik, and when I got back I was just so tired that I..." she drifted off, then sat down again, and a few moments later she began to snore softly.

"I guess she needs sleep," Zaps commented from behind Riolu.


	11. Chapter 9

Rei woke up the next morning feeling much better. She tossed the wet towel over her head to one side and stretched, before cantering downstairs for breakfast.

"How are you feeling?" Miltank asked from the kitchen when she heard Rei walking into the dining room.

"Better, definitely," Rei replied. "Thank you."

"I'm glad to hear it," Tauros commented from the table. "Zaps and Riolu are outside." Rei nodded and headed outside herself.

What met her eyes were a quartet of idiots.

"How could you?!" Riolu seethed. "You _know_ Ralts doesn't know how to defend herself! She could be _dying_ out there!"

"What's it to you?" Sneasel said, examining his claws casually. Murkrow fluttered down next to Zaps and locked him in place with a well-placed Scary Face.

"Honestly." Rei sighed. "You're as bad as each other."

Everyone looked at her expectantly.

"Sneasel and Murkrow are idiots to come near here when I'm around," Rei began. "And even more so if they've done something stupid to Ralts." Riolu's eyes glowed with unmatched thankfulness.

"And Riolu and Zaps should be trying to rescue her instead of hanging out here and doing hey whatever," Rei continued, throwing her supplies at Riolu. He caught them, eyes going wide.

Rei walked past, throwing a rock at Murkrow and punching Sneasel with barely a side-glance. Both ran off before they got hurt any worse.

"Come on," Rei said simply. "You aren't going to let Ralts get hurt, are you?"

Both boys shook their heads vigorously and followed Rei towards the plaza.

0~***~0

"So this is the place?" Rei asked, once they had reached the School Forest.

"Yeah," Riolu answered. "This is where Ralts went." He shivered. "Only students in their final year are allowed to go in there, and only with adult supervision."

Rei considered. "Well, there's not much we can do but search for her. Here, have some items." She tossed them some items wrapped in scarves, which both Pokémon accepted gracefully. With that, they went into the dungeon.

0~***~0

The first part of the dungeon was relatively uneventful. Rei took the same tactic as Miltank and Tauros, hiding when they saw unfamiliar, empty-eyed Pokémon, and running as far as they could that way. She knew that it wouldn't last forever, but they could save some of their energy for later on.

"Where are we going? Do you know the way?" Zaps asked after a few minutes.

"Mystery Dungeons don't work like that," Rei replied promptly. "At least, that's what Miltank told me. They change every time you go in." Zaps stopped.

"Say what?" He cried. "Are we walking in circles?"

"No," Rei said. "I've marked where we came from. And no, not with food." She pointed at a burn mark on a wall a little ways back. "What did you think I was using Mystical Fire for?"

Zaps decided that his best option was to trust Rei.

A few minutes later, Riolu commented, "Hey, Rei? Zaps doesn't look so good." Rei snapped back and immediately checked on him. He was panting heavily.

"Zaps? What's wrong?" She asked seriously.

Zaps smiled. "I'll be okay," He insisted. "I feel... like there's some sort of darkness following me. It's nothing, I'm sure."

"And I'm sure it means something," Rei insisted, thinking back to her episode. "Here. Wear this." She pulled an Everstone necklace onto his neck.

He immediately perked up. "That feels better," He admitted. "What happened there?"

"Evolution energy has saturated this place," She growled. "We have to get to Ralts as soon as possible." After that, Rei forged a path as far as she could, and they made faster progress.

0~***~0

"This looks like the final room," Riolu said cautiously. "We didn't pass her, did we?"

"No," Rei replied, tail thrashing. "Look over there. It looks like we might be too late." Zaps and Riolu looked. A familiar white-and-blue colouring was present. Ralts, however, looked different. Her one cap had spread to resemble a human's hair, and her formerly total-white body now appeared as if she were wearing a dress, with two delicate blue feet poking out. She turned, and black eyes refocused on the group of three.

"Intruders," She murmured, getting up. Rei noticed a small collection of stones at her feet, all with a bright blue shine. Then she launched herself forward, and Riolu had to use Extremespeed to get himself out of the way of a Quick Attack.

"Ralts?" Zaps called, from the other side of the room. "What happened to you?"

Ralts - now Kirlia - made no reply. Rei dashed forward, dodging a few psychic attacks launched at her feet, and she leaped up into the air above Kirlia to come down and try to hit her with a full-body slam, but Kirlia teleported before Rei hit the ground. An improvised Protect dealt with the velocity, and Rei called out to her team mates.

"Riolu, try and hit her with Force Palm," Rei ordered. "I'd rather do this while she's conscious. If she gets paralyzed, great, and tell me. Zaps, if you can manage Mean Look, do so. It should help." The two nodded, and Riolu charged forward in a blue-palmed attack. Kirlia tried to escape with the same method, but a few seconds later she met eyes with Zaps and felt her body lock down the ability, as if she could no longer escape. The fighting-type attack hit, and while it didn't hurt her too badly, she felt it.

She dashed around to meet them from a distance and managed a few glancing shots on the two Blue Pokémon. Then, remembering there was a third, she looked around for it. She glanced at her feet only to see a shadow the size of her coming down from above.

Rei's Body Slam hit, but it didn't have the effect she was hoping for. Kirlia definitely felt the attack, but she dashed away before another attack could hit her.

"Zaps!" Rei called in a sudden stroke of genius. "Try a thunder wave on her!" Zaps nodded dubiously and sent a thin string of electricity at Kirlia. She didn't dodge in time, and electricity crackled over her, slowing her down significantly.

"Riolu, distract her for a moment!" Rei called, grabbing something from her backpack. Riolu began to adopt a hit-and-run strategy, sending in small, underpowered aura spheres for Kirlia to dodge. She was far too busy to notice Rei creeping up behind her until Rei flung a necklace onto her neck.

There was a brief flash of purple-pink light, and a tired Ralts collapsed on the floor, Everstone Necklace around her neck.

"Ralts?" Riolu cried, halting his attacks and rushing forward. "Ralts!?"

"She should be okay," Rei comforted him. "The Everstone is negating the effects of the energy. Let's get her out of here." Riolu nodded seriously and hoisted Ralts over his shoulder. He nearly buckled, but in a burst of strength he positioned her better.

"Let's go," Riolu said, huffing. "I've had enough for one day."

0~***~0

"Sneasel." Rei glared at him from across the room, where seven Pokémon sat. Zaps, Riolu, and Ralts were all sitting alongside Rei, and Murkrow and Sneasel were sitting opposite, looking very displeased. At one corner of the room, a guardsmon - specifically, a Heatmor with piercing eyes - stood guard, occasional wisps of flame leaving his mouth.

"I don't know _what_ you were thinking," Rei shook her head. "but that was, and I can't believe I'm telling you this, very dangerous. Ralts could've died, for all we know. There's a reason nobody has left the village for weeks."

Murkrow scoffed. "We were fine."

Rei sighed. "I have a theory that whatever is doing this has to do with a Dark-type. As far as I'm aware, dark-types remain unaffected. Ralts is not a dark type." Sneasel looked dodgy at this statement, but said nothing. "Also, Mystery Dungeons are dangerous in general. Violent Pokémon stay in them, and they don't hesitate to attack anyone who enters."

"Regardless," Rei continued, "You put Ralts in danger, and that is why I feel you shouldn't be allowed as many privileges as before. If other Pokémon are influenced to do the same, we may not rescue them in time. Ralts nearly succumbed to it." At this, Ralts squeezed her Everstone necklace tightly, remembering the moment.

Rei sighed. "I have nothing more to say to you. Goodbye." With this statement, Rei got up and left, her three friends in tow, leaving Sneasel and Murkrow to think about what they'd done in the school's detention tent.

0~***~0

"Thank you for everything," Ralts said with gratitude. "I don't know what I was thinking, listening to those jerks."

"It was nothing," Riolu lied, a paw scratching his neck. "Really."

"I'm just glad you're okay," Rei admitted. "Who knows what could've happened." She checked over her shoulder. "Hey, Zaps? I'm headed to the Kecleon Market to get some supplies to replace the ones we used. You guys catch up with me." Zaps nodded in confirmation, and Rei dashed off to get the supplies.

"Rei's so daring," Ralts commented, once Rei was out of earshot. Her eyes got a dreamy look. "If only there was a guy like her." Riolu tried to be in inevitable sight without looking eager.

"It's too bad there aren't any even close in the village," she continued, making Riolu deflate like a balloon that had a hole poked into it. Zaps tapped his friend's shoulder, and once they made sure Ralts was safe, they headed for the plaza themselves.

Rei was just about finished paying Kecleon the Younger for a pile of supplies when Riolu and Zaps caught up to her.

"Rei?" Riolu called, catching up. "I have something to ask." Rei listened, shown by the way her ears perked.

Riolu looked shifty. "I... Ralts said you were 'daring'. Like she admired you." He looked directly into Rei's eyes. "How do you do it?"

Rei smiled. "It has to do with who Ralts is, and who I am, but I'll try." Rei took a deep breath. "I might just be 'ideal' in her eyes, in the fact that, as a Pokémon, I don't rely on Evolution to lend me strength. I'm used to being exactly who I am."

"Huh?"

Rei continued. "Up until recently, Ralts was bullied, surrounded by people who she wanted to leave. People like Sneasel and Murkrow. Her solution was to evolve, but she didn't have the experience. That's why she barely paid attention to most students, who weren't powerful, and weren't evolved." Rei paused. "I think she paid more attention to you than others. Because... you stood up and fought, even when you didn't have a chance at winning."

Riolu looked down at his feet. "I guess. Although I always figured that if I just managed to hit them with something..." He growled lightly.

"You would have hurt yourself trying," Rei objected. "Regardless, before we even shared words, I proved to Ralts that Evolution wasn't everything. I learn things myself, without any need to evolve. It gave her hope, without the one thing she thought would get her out of her situation." Rei considered for a moment. "I think she feels trapped. She wants to be her own hero, but she can't."

Zaps stepped forward. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that she wants to evolve into Gallade," Rei explained.

"Why can't she?" Riolu inquired.

"Because that's not how Dawn Stones work," Rei sighed. "She wants to be a Gallade, but Gallade are always - and I repeat, always - Male. Much like only female Snorunt can evolve into Froslass using a Dawn Stone. Dawn Stones are very selective of gender." Rei smiled. "But now that evolution has been proved wrong for her, she may grow to be her own hero without the need to become a Gallade."

"Oh," Riolu said, sounding slightly optimistic about the subject.

"I see you are very perceptive."

Rei snapped around and in barely a second was in full-defense mode. In front of her were a small group of Pokémon that she recognized as being Pokémon Abra had told her about. They were much more menacing in person.

Aggron was the first one that garnered her attention. He was, to put it simply, huge. Large metal plates lined his head and jaw, marking him as a steel type, and he was heavily armoured all over with similar black and white metals. Quiet blue eyes studied her efficiently, and Rei felt his very presence test her, as if trying to figure out who she was. A large black tail flicked back and forth irritably.

Houndoom was probably the smallest and simplest Pokémon, but that didn't make him look any less threatening. Large horns curled out of his head and nearly braced his neck, making her wonder if howling posed a problem. An orange muzzle boasted sharp white teeth that, in her vision, crackled with dark energy. A skull-like emblem was on his chest, and his ankles and back bore a bone-like material. A whip-like tail waved gently in the wind, small but deadly.

The most noticeable Pokémon, and by the looks of it, their leader, was an Alakazam. Rei wondered briefly how he evolved, being one of those that from her knowledge evolved by trade, but she cast the thought aside to study him himself. He appeared, at first glance, to be the least menacing, boasting no defenses or threatening parts, but she could feel the psychic energy come off of him in waves of pure power. His body was a golden yellow, and his knees and torso were brown. He held two spoons in his hands which appeared to be a focus for his capabilities.

The Alakazam was the one who had spoken, and as he moved closer, Rei felt him send waves of gentle reassurance - something she wouldn't have noticed had she not been alert. She forced herself to stay on the defence, and she swore she felt a bit of confusion, as if he did not understand how she could have resisted his soothing wave.

"I presume you are the child who was rescued barely a week or so ago?" Alakazam continued, voice showing no evidence of his disappointment. "Rei, if I remember correctly?"

"Yes, I am Rei." Rei said, stepping forward. "If you don't mind, I would appreciate an introduction."

* * *

Hey-o folks who read this story!

It's been a real long time since last update. I want to apologize for the wait, and also say a few things.

Thanks to the people who reviewed, it makes little people like me feel great! I hope you all stick around, this one is going to be a long one.

Reviews are appreciated greatly, no matter what! Don't be scared to voice your opinion!

Also, feel free (hint hint nudge nudge) to suggest characters or scenarios as far as quests! Things Rei can do when she's not doing, well, anything else.

I'll be sure to try and keep the updates coming!

PS. Fanfiction has been having trouble with reviews lately, but don't worry, I've been getting them through my email. I can handle it, but if you expect a reply, it might be through PM instead. Sorry!

Catcha later!


	12. Chapter 10

"Of course," Alakazam said, smiling gently. Rei, now taking full advantage of the emanations she kept feeling, could verify that this was sincere. "I am Kaz, and these are my friends and partners, Ron and Oun." Rei felt confused for a moment at the fact that these Pokémon, unlike so many others, had names, then recalled Zaps was the same.

"It is a pleasure to meet you. Now that I recall, I believe Abra told me about you." Rei commented politely. Riolu and Zaps stared at her enough for her to feel it, and she felt slightly annoyed for a moment before passing it off.

"He did?" Kaz said with interest. "It is curious that a youth such as he stayed awake long enough."

"Perhaps it was a subject he was proud of," Rei suggested, and this got her a light chuckle.

"Perhaps," Kaz said, chuckling some more. "Perhaps."

"Sir?" Oun barked, walking up alongside Kaz. "What we came here for?"

"Yes, I'm getting to that," Kaz said irritably, but Rei felt a wave of familiarity that said he didn't feel all that bothered. He turned to Rei. "We've come to suggest that the three of you start a Team under coaching of experienced Truthmakers."

Riolu gaped. Zaps lost control of his electricity for a startled moment, then tried desperately to recompose himself.

"Why do you think we should?" Rei asked.

Kaz looked... satisfied. Like he had found something he was looking for. "You rescued that young girl Ralts, did you not?" He said, amusement playing on his features. "And challenge superiors without a shred of doubt that you would lose?"

"That is only because I know my strength, and Ralts is my friend," Rei replied modestly. "I don't believe that that alone would make me cut out for such a position." Rei deigned it silly to mention that she had barely any idea what Truthmakers, or their apprentices, did.

"I knew that," Kaz said, shaking his head. "but you know more. You're the reason that the pressure many of us feel disappear as we entered the village, correct?"

"No, sir. It's the Everstone." Rei said. "I thank you for your suggestion, but I believe a decision like this requires more thought."

Riolu pounced on her and turned her away. Whispering into her ear, he hissed, "Rei, are you mad?! This is the chance of a lifetime!"

"Up until recently, I had a different lifetime," Rei replied. "And Kaz can hear us. He's psychic, remember?" Riolu looked embarrassed for a moment, and a hum of approval came from behind them.

"I see you are definitely as intelligent as I first thought," Kaz said happily. "I understand if you need time." Rei smiled. If this Pokémon was telling the truth, then...

Just then, a black shadow leaped from the undergrowth, and Rei haphazardly sent up a shield, which intercepted the form and sent it backwards. Rei couldn't quite tell, but it looked as if it were aiming for the space where she might have been in a few moments.

"Absol?" Alakazam said disbelievingly. "What brings you here?"

"I have been following this child's movements," Absol stated. "By her agreement. She is a whirling ball of constant chances, and I fear that including her as a Truthmaker makes everything collapse in her future. I doubt she would survive her first mission." she shook her head. "Definitely a bad idea."

Rei stopped for a moment to consider.

"No! Stop, I tell you, stop!" Absol shouted, making Rei's train of thought collapse. After a moment of deep panting, Absol sighed in relief.

"Whatever happened?" Kaz inquired seriously, one had reaching out to the dark-type. Rei sensed darkness about to launch itself, and she carefully positioned a guard between his hand and Absol's flank, making Kaz retreat slowly. He glanced briefly at Rei, who stared at him, trying to show him what might have happened, the dark energy crackling up his arm. He retreated more, staring at her all the while, deep concern lining his features.

"Rei's considering made the winds of chance... gravitate to her," Absol hissed, tending to one paw. "It hurt to look at, like being forced to watch directly when a Flash goes off." Oun and Ron visibly cringed. Kaz looked startled, but didn't show it; Rei could only feel it through the feeling-thoughts that emanated from him.

"Then what do you think I should do?" Rei asked. "Surely if you can have predictions of what future paths will bring, then having me follow the most advantageous path is best." Absol thought about this, a smile slowly creeped onto her face.

"Being allies is the best choice," She decided at last. "Certain teams from the Truthmakers can help you get through your troubles, the Truthmakers benefit from knowledge you bring." She frowned for a moment, then shook off the feeling. "That is your best option."

Rei stopped for a moment, figuring out something in her mind. Weighing out the pros and cons, before finally deciding that if Riolu trusted Absol, she would too. From how they talked about Cresselia, she was prominent and good to them, and any ally of hers was probably one whose opinions were well thought out.

"You've decided upon that path?" Absol asked pre-emptively.

"Yes," Rei said slowly, "though if it proves advantageous I may change my mind." Absol frowned, but said nothing, and Kaz nodded in agreement.

"If Absol says so, I have no reason to doubt the knowledge of that decision," Kaz said grandly. "Well met, Rei, and I hope that we can help each other in the future." With this statement, one eye flashed as he glanced at his companions, particularly Houndoom, and they all vanished. Rei was impressed by the cleanliness of the move; she could barely feel the power it took.

Absol gave Rei a curt nod, then leaped into the darkness, melting away herself.

"Rei?" Riolu asked, after a moment of disbelief. "Does this mean we... like... sorta got recruited as Truthmakers?"

Rei shrugged. "If that's what you want to see it as, why not?"

Riolu and Zaps both did a happy dance.

0~***~0

Rei couldn't sleep.

It was like something was nagging at her, nibbling her fur and tugging her towards the door. She tried to get to sleep multiple times, but every time this nagging sensation became urgent. It soon occurred to her that she still hadn't mentally recovered from her shock a few nights before, and sighing deeply, she drowsily dragged herself away from her bed and let the nagging sensation lead her away.

She found herself taking a midnight walk, and in the darkness she once again felt uneasy. The streets abandoned, the usual cheer of the plaza was swapped out for a serene calm that made the place seem like a graveyard.

She found herself headed in the direction of the spring once again, the pool where only a few nights before she'd jumped in and saved herself. She stopped abruptly as she felt something at her feet. Er, paws. That was still something she was getting used to.

She looked down at what her fee- _paws_ had felt, and her heart skipped a beat in a sudden assumption that it might be dead.

She shook the thought from her mind and studied it closely. It was blue, with two long arms and two stubby yet functional feet, and two long feelers extended from its head which ended in small baubles. Its eyes were surrounded by a yellow outline which had a similar design to its feelers extending from the top, and a large red jewel rested in its chest above a smaller yellow one.

Rei searched her memory-of-a-life-she-did-not-remember for this Pokémon's identity, but found herself lost as to who it was. She shook the thought from her mind and poked it gently. Its body was soft and squishy, like a doll, but she quickly found ti was awake.

"Help..." It choked out, voice young but masculine enough to reveal the speaker as male. Rei snapped awake and picked him up by the scruff of his neck, and the boy motioned to the lake not far away.

Rei summoned strength within herself, realizing that the boy was dreadfully thin, and dragged him towards the lake hurriedly. Gently laying him down in the water, she heard an audible sigh of relief as he sunk into the first few inches and he began to move further into the water. Rei would have been worried, but as he launched himself into the lake a loud and joyous laugh was heard, and she let her heart rest easy.

"Who are you?" Rei asked, feeling a bit lost for the first time since she'd come to this place.

The boy popped his head out of the water and grinned at her. "My name's Manaphy," Manaphy replied, and he toddled onto land to speak to her.

"Thanks for rescuing me," he said happily, any sense of his being in need of help lost to the carefree look on his face. "I don't know what might have happened to me."

"What are you doing out here of all places?" Rei asked gently.

"A... friend... wanted my help to search for someone," Manaphy explained. "When I found her, she immediately attacked me. Speaking of which..." His jewel glowed for a second, and suddenly a torrent of water launched itself at some bushes, and a yelp was heard before the rustling of leaves told Rei it was already too late to find out who was there.

"Who was that?" Rei hissed, Her back arcing upon instinct as she glared at the bush.

"Can't tell you," Manaphy replied promptly. "My friend said you're not to know. But here's the deal; don't leave the village until you know the fourth."

"The fourth what?" Rei inquired, trying to keep her voice calm.

Manaphy smiled. "I guess I can say a little. The fourth companion, member, etcetera, who will join you, Zaps, and Raoul in your destiny here."

"Raoul?" Rei repeated, letting a memory of the name seep into her mind briefly.

Manaphy's eyes widened slightly, but then her smiled again. "You'll know soon. Just do what you can, mm-kay?" His childish smile stopped Rei from inquiring any further, and she finally gave in.

"I guess I'll live with that as my answer then," Rei sighed. "Thank you."

Manaphy stopped for a moment, let his feelers waver slightly, then grinned. "One last thing. Remember that a species is not defined by one individual, much as you are unique as an Eevee." He waved, toddled over to the water again, and leaped in, almost entirely disappearing.

Rei shrugged, yawned, and went back home.

0~***~0

"Again." The voice lashed out, hissing gently as a metallic tail swished back and forth, cutting the grasses behind it. "I should have known that that meddling Prince would come."

It considered for a moment. "That doesn't mean anything," It decided. "I didn't lure her out anyway, so it was most likely lucky I was stopped." It let itself calm down.

"Now, only to find a way to get her to leave the village. The fewer with her, the better."

glowing red eyes narrowed, then disappeared altogether.


	13. Chapter 11

Rei's morning was short-lived. She had a few blissful minutes of peace, listening to the chatter of Fletchling outside her (arguably non-existent) window, and letting a warm breeze caress her.

Then she heard a snickering sound, and she quickly decided that Riolu and Zaps had decided to do something. She let her fur bristle slightly as she extended the instinctive senses she'd acquired since her transformation into a Pokémon.

Suddenly, she knew exactly where they were and what they were doing. She wasn't sure how, but it seemed like her powers were... focused. Clear. She felt for things, and found that her pair of friends were creeping up behind her, with Riolu holding something that looked like a bucket in his hands.

Rei let feeling fill her tail, and at the right moment, she flicked it, knocking a metal object back into the two. Immediate results included a dual cry of surprise, and Rei shook herself and turned to look at the two offenders.

"You deserved that," Rei commented, looking on in amusement as the two blue Pokémon shivered and tried to get the cold water off their fur. She eyed the bucket distastefully before shaking herself and hopping down.

"We just wanted to say that it's time to go to school," Riolu grumbled.

"School?" Rei repeated, a bit surprised. _Why did I think there was no school today?_

"Yeah," Zaps said slowly. "Did you forget?"

Rei shook her head. "No, just... something tells me that school worked differently where I came from. I had the strangest feeling..." Rei stopped for a moment. "Nevermind. Let's just go to school."

0~***~0

"I keep telling you, I'm seriously a Truthmaker!"

Riolu's two ears perked at that word. The three of them automatically began walking faster.

"Dear, we simply can't let you go in alone," the gentle voice of Audino stated, floating to the approaching trio on the wind.

"But-"

"I told you, we can't," Audino repeated, in a pleasant tone. "Bring a partner and I'll gladly let you in."

"You..." As Rei turned a corner, she saw the speaker, and the speaker turned to her.

"Who're you?" the Snivy asked, crossing her arms. "I need to get a mission done, I don't have time for this!" Audino automatically stopped the Snivy's advance.

"I wouldn't suggest doing that," Rei said calmly. "And I'm Rei. These are my friends, Riolu and Zaps." The two stepped forward to get a closer look.

"Say what?" the Snivy said, turning around to look at her directly. "Who?"

"Rei," Rei repeated, flicking her tail in annoyance. "and it would be nice to know who you are."

"I'm Vide," the Snivy replied, rubbing the back of her head with one hand sheepishly. "I guess I was too eager to prove myself."

"To who, and on what terms?" Rei inquired.

Vide blinked. "Uh... to Kaz, and that I can be a Truthmaker." She shook her head. "But I guess no-one believes in a one-man team, huh."

"Do you not have anyone to go with?" Rei said, curious.

"Nah, I'm just from one of those lousy small towns where Pokémon don't care much about that sort of thing," She said sadly. "And I don't really know people anywhere else."

"I see," Rei replied, not letting on her thoughts. She turned to Audino. "May we?" Rei gestured to Riolu and Zaps, who immediately righted themselves in an attempt to look worthy. Vide raised a curious eyebrow.

"I don't see why not," Audino accepted. "Just make sure that you can help Riolu and Zaps catch up on literature class afterwards." Rei dipped her head in thanks, then turned back to Vide.

"Well, there you have it," Rei said cheerfully. "Your team, for today anyway." Vide looked like she could just collapse any moment.

"But- You're students!" Vide stuttered. "How does she trust you so much?"

"Well, for one she knows us," Rei commented. "The other is..." Rei glanced at Riolu knowingly, and he gladly took the chance to show off by twirling an Aura Sphere in one paw.

"Whoa," Vide awed, inflating Riolu's ego. "That's cool. What about you two?" She looked expectantly at Zaps and Rei.

Zaps displayed a Discharge, letting electricity crackle all over his fur.

"Oh," Vide looked impressed, then moved on to Rei. "I bet you have some sort of crazy-awesome move, too. Can you show me?"

"Now without making a crater in the ground," Rei replied idly. "All of us can use Extremespeed, though. Useful, that."

"Are you sure you're not trying to get out of it?" Vide teased, poking Rei on the shoulder. She immediately regretted this decision because Rei had decided to show off as well.

With Mystical Fire.

0~***~0

"Since you're the truthmaker, lead the way," Rei said, which is exactly what Vide did. She'd quickly gotten over nearly being burned and they approached the first 'floor' of the dungeon with gusto. Rei casually threw fireballs at anything that tried to bother them, and Riolu and Zaps did the same with Aura Spheres and Discharges, leaving Vide feeling quite useless.

"What are we looking for, by the way?" Rei asked, as she launched another Mystical fire at a Sunkern, who blinked as colour returned to her eyes and ran away.

"We're looking for a Pearl, of all things," Vide replied. She took the opportunity in a thin hallway to tackle a Sewaddle and send him packing. "It was supposed to be my first big mission, and look what they gave me. At least I get practice getting into restricted places." There was a bang as Riolu force palmed a Geodude who looked dreadfully lost.

"A pearl, huh?" Rei murmured audibly. "A Spoink Pearl, perhaps?"

"Yeah, actually," Vide said, turning back. "Did you find it?"

"No, just a regular old pearl," Rei said. "Might look good in a necklace, though." Vide sighed and kept going.

"I don't know why you have such an attitude about this mission," Riolu commented. "I'm glad to be on a mission at all."

"Because it doesn't have much consequence." Vide sighed again, climbing up a brief wall of foliage to get further up. "Like, if Spoink doesn't get her pearl, that's sad, but it's not-"

"It's of vital importance," Rei cut in. "Spoink have pearls for a reason, you know. It has to do with their Springs. Their heart powers their spring, and if they don't have a pearl, they bounce everywhere violently. Like a seizure." Rei narrowed her eyes. "It's very dangerous for them not to have a pearl. It's more life-threatening than a lot of things."

Vide blinked.

"Okay, taking this more seriously now," Vide said, a guilty feeling evident in her voice.

"Don't feel bad about it," Rei said calmly. "Only people who've met a Spoink or... well, only they'd know that Spoink are like that." _Better not mention that Spoink are only in the Hoenn region. Geez, that was close._

"I guess you're right," Vide commented, visibly brightening at the thought. "Yeah, I won't worry about that. We should just focus on finding that pearl."

They walked through quite a bit farther, then came to a room where only one thing was.

"There it is!" Vide said happily. "We found it!" Vide was about to go get it, but Rei grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and pulled her back in.

"Something's wrong," Rei hissed, and as she said this, the scuttling of multiple Pokémon could be heard. Vide yelped as Pokémon began to drop from the ceiling.

"As I thought, a Monster House," Rei groaned. " Zaps, Charge, then try and sustain a Shock wave on as many of them as possible!" Zaps nodded, his fur glowing as the group of Pokémon approached, and he leaped in, sending down the wave-like electric attack.

"Riolu, cover my blind side while I charge up," Rei requested, and even as she spoke Riolu jumped in front of a Bagon and punched him across the room.

"Vide! Provide Zaps cover while he charges and sends out shock waves!" Vide, shaking herself out of her shock, leaped into battle, putting down leech seeds to help her sustain herself and do damage.

"Watch out, Tympole to your left!" Rei called out, and Vide formed a blade of energy before swiping at the water type. She launched him bodily back and turned to continue the Leaf Blade attack on the next attacker.

Zaps launched out another two Shock Waves before giving up and using Extremespeed to dash about, knocking out Pokémon running away to recover. Vide tackled another Sewaddle that came by as Zaps stopped to catch his breath, and they heard a bang as Riolu sent another Tympole flying.

"They don't stop coming!" Vide moaned, cringing visibly. "Rei what are you-"

Just then, Riolu sped up to her, grabbed her around her torso and dashed behind Rei. Vide blinked, and only had about two seconds notice before Rei unleashed ultimate power on the unsuspecting Pokémon.

None went unscathed.

"Wait, what?" Vide said weakly, staring at the room full of collapsed Pokémon.

"You can get the pearl now," Rei reminded her, and Vide pulled herself together and grabbed the mission's purpose.

0~***~0

"Thanks again for your help," Vide said weakly. "I seriously feel useless right now. Kaz was right when he said I need practice."

"You're a good battler," Zaps said positively.

"I don't think I'm the best person to compare yourself with," Rei laughed. "but it's true that you need some tactical training, both in diplomacy and in 'don't walk casually into a monster house'." A light laughter was shared among the four.

"I'd better take this to Spoink," Vide smiled. "Thanks again!"


	14. Chapter 12

Rei lay awake in the middle of the night, asking herself what she should do to make herself sleep. She didn't like to admit it, but she was plain terrified of falling asleep. It was only now that she was feeling scared of what she might do to people if she succumbed once again to the horrible pain she'd felt, a vivid memory although it had been many nights before.

She got up, shook out her fur, and decided on a midnight walk. Stretching, she let feeling return to her paws and padded over to the door. Then down the well-used path, illuminated my moonlight. Then to the Everstone in the center of the village. Her eyes gazed at the stone as if it could feel her looking at it, and she let her frustrations surface in her thoughts. Rei was horrible when it came to aftershock. She usually acted like a hero only to be scared silly after the threat was gone.

 _Why am I here? What can I do? I don't like sitting here and hoping for rescue._ Her broken expression quirked into a brief smirk. _The internet doesn't have any guides on what to do in this situation, even if I could access it._ Her tail, now a natural part of her body, thwacked the ground irritably. She wondered if she would miss it when she went back.

 _When I go back._ Her mind automatically assumed the worst. _If I go back._ The alien world came crashing down on her all at once, and she shrunk instinctively, feeling the oddity of the whole ordeal crash in on her idle ignorance. In her moment of panic, her eyes settled on something familiar.

The moon, glowing reliably, sent its pale beams down to give her an unwavering sense of reality. This was clear as day; she was in a world much like her own. If she'd found her way here, she could definitely get back. All it took was to find out where her world is. The moon was a good start; no matter how many chances there were, this world had to be dreadfully similar to have a moon so nearly identical to hers.

The whispers of voices in the night disturbed her. She felt her fur prickle as she recognised the voice, sharp and demanding.

"...C'mon! Don't be chicken, Joltik!" Sneasel sneered. Rei ran for a bush as she heard the voices getting closer, and she heard Joltik's distinctive squeak loud enough to know this was serious.

She stared out form a gap in the leaves as she viewed the situation from a unique perspective. Joltik was practically being dragged away towards the road leading to the Deep Woods. Murkrow kept up a Mean Look to prevent her running off, and Sneasel seemed to be trying to convince her of something.

"... But Sneasel, I'm just a little Joltik! I can barely spar with the others without being squished flat!" Rei caught.

Sneasel's eyes narrowed. "You can do it. Why do you think we're taking you there?"

"Uhm, because you're regularly jerks and you think you can trick me?" Joltik tried, not really caring that this offended both of them.

"No," Sneasel replied bluntly. "We lost something in a small hole and we're not small enough to go get it. That answer your question?"

"Yes," Joltik squeaked promptly, "But I don't see why I have to go in alone."

"It's safer alone, trust me," Murkrow quipped, joining in. Joltik looked apprehensive, but she was gradually forced to enter the forest. She walked off with a panicked expression on her face.

Rei wanted to leap out at them all, but she felt tired. She knew she had to conserve strength, and while the whole going-alone thing was a total lie, she didn't know if they were serious about their lost item. For now, she just had to find Joltik and bring her back.

* * *

Rei wandered in the labryinth-like forest for quite a while, dodging enemies where she could, not trusting herself to have the energy to protect herself if an emergency came up otherwise. She frequently wondered why Joltik were so small, but passed it off each time. It was time to find a small bug in a forest.

Great...

She looked briefly into a small room that seemed empty at first, then did a double-take as she saw both Joltik and a vaguely wispy form that wavered into visibility, revealing itself to be a Haunter.

Rei crept closer to the room, and as she saw Haunter charge up an attack, she made a split-second decision and leaped into the attack full-force. Predictably, the ghost-type attack did nothing to her, and she quickly glanced at a very relieved Joltik before staring the Haunter in the eye. He stared back, a bit surprised a first, but then a smile creeped over his face.

"What you gonna do, kid?" he asked, grinning.

Rei thought about that. She could use extremespeed...

wait.

Or Hyper beam...

no, that was also...

Aura Sphere?...

Rei suddenly regretted learning nothing but normal and fighting type attacks. She winced as she felt psychic energy build up around the ghostly form, and she began to feed energy into a protect, hoping to figure out an attack before it was too late. Glancing back to Joltik momentarily, she turned to Haunter and glared at him with much more confidence than she felt. She prepared herself to block the powerful Psychic attack that she felt building up, trying to ignore the smugness that Haunter was emitting.

Nearly...

BANG!

She felt the wind catch up as a blue blur raced past at blazing speeds, quick feet launching the form everywhere at high speeds. Haunter seemed briefly confused for a moment, but he reoriented himself and launched the attack with startling accuracy. A high yelp made Rei cringe, but as it happened, a louder screech from haunter came afterwards as a flurry of punches beat him into the ground.

Rei felt something click in her mind, and a brief white flash from her eyes revealed his weakest point, the one thing that stopped him being a straight-up ghost. She let the blue blur, who was still moving, distract Haunter, and then she let power build up in her throat.

After another brief check it would work, Rei released her hyper beam.

Haunter did not dodge in time.

* * *

Riolu padded alongside Rei as they left Joltik's house, Joltik already home safe. Rei was silent, a strange thing considering she had everything and the Gogoat's mother to talk about up until that point. She shook off the uncomfortable feeling that had hung over her since the battle with the Haunter and decided to thank Riolu properly.

"Thank you," Rei said honestly, trying to forget her adult-like dignity for a moment. "I wouldn't have made it without your help."

"You finished him off," Riolu contributed modestly. "I wasn't that much help."

"You were," Rei insisted, "because now I know that I have an inherent flaw in my moveset. I need to train more."

"You've done nothing but train since you got here," Riolu commented with a hint of concern.

"Yes, but on the wrong things," Rei rallied. "Sometimes Mystical Fire isn't enough, and I didn't have enough time to get an attack in edgewise without risking being defeated there." She looked down at her paws.

"You're thinking about something and not telling me," Riolu said, stopping in his tracks and forcing Rei to do the same. Rei sighed and turned to face him directly.

"This moon," Rei said idly, without any particular part directed at Riolu. "it's the same. The same as the home that my mind tells me I know. I know this moon, and that gives me hope of finding my way home again." Riolu fell silent.

"I want to find my way home," Rei continued. "I want to know why I'm here. I've only recently shaken off the initial reaction to all this... and now I'm lost somewhere where I am an outcast."

"You aren't an outcast," Riolu countered. "You're a Pokémon, and fellow Pokémon don't leave each other in the dust."

Rei stared at him hard. "Riolu, I'm not a Pokémon. I never felt like one, I was never meant to be one, and I never will be one."

Riolu replied slowly, "Then what are you?"

Rei snapped out of her haze and shook her head. "You wouldn't believe me, and it doesn't really matter. All that matters is that I'm not supposed to be here."

"I want to know, at least," Riolu begged. "I'll tell you a secret of mine, if you tell me. Please?"

Rei blinked, then reoriented herself. "Promise me that you won't judge me based on this, or repeat it to anyone. I don't know what Pokémon might think."

Riolu considered, then decided it was fair, nodding to acknowledge his decision.

"I'm a human."

* * *

It took Riolu some time to get over his shock. His face went through an entire set of emotions, mostly surprise, and he finally settled on trying to believe.

"I should tell you something, only fair," he said after a moment. Rei quietly listened, feeling that this was important.

"When I was little," Riolu began, "and I guess still, I wanted desperately to be a Truthmaker. They were heroic, awe-inspiring, and made me believe I could make a mark on the world." His eyes stared out into nothingness, as he remembered the moment. "I wanted to help people, but I was never good enough. Often I heard teachers talk to each other, asking each other if I could possibly get anywhere, with how I was doing in Battle Ed and everything else." He sighed. "I'm not good at much."

Rei sent him a sympathetic smile, but decided to let him finish.

"It's no surprise I was picked on," Riolu continued. "I was always scared, could never be brave, and it seemed unachievable. I gave up on that dream. But I used to think that if I ever became a Truthmaker, I would give myself a cool name. And that name was Raoul." He said this self-given name with an air of awe, as if it filled him with joy.

Rei knew exactly what she wanted to say.

"I'll call you Raoul, then," Rei decided. He blinked for a moment, then began to protest.

"But I'm not a Truthmaker, or strong, or brave, or anything." Riolu protested, waving his paws defensively.

"Don't be silly." Rei scoffed. "Kaz himself asked you, and you only turned him down because of me. Plus, you saved my life back there. I think that counts as pretty heroic, if you ask me." She smiled. "Also, and I can't believe I'm telling you this - bravery isn't a lack of fear. If it was, I'd be the bravest thing on the planet. Bravery is doing it anyway, even though you're scared."

Riolu had no real counter to that. "I... um..."

"Raoul." Rei said seriously. "I am not brave. I am not fearless. I have spent most of my time wondering if I'm going to ever get back home, and not doing anything about it. You do things. You protected Ralts when Sneasel tried to hit on her. You leaped in the way of a powerful Psychic attack just to protect Joltik and me." Her eyes narrowed.

"You decided to accept me as I am, without judging me for what I know I am, even though it's obvious you're scared of what I am means."

"Okay." Raoul said, a tearful smile dancing on his face. "I guess I can't argue."


	15. Chapter 13

When Raoul woke up in the early morning, instead of hearing the Pidgey flying north he heard the sound of combat outside. He immediately leaped out of his bed and shook Zaps awake. They both creeped downstairs and walked past an empty dining room outside, and followed the noise with careful steps. Peeking around to the back of the house, their eyes met a strange sight.

Rei was in the center of the field, and pulses of what could only be described as powerful, mystical energy rolled off of her in waves, making them flinch visibly. Ralts, surprisingly, was also in the clearing behind the house, standing there and nodding.

"You sure are powerful," Ralts commented, a hand travelling to her Everstone necklace. "I'm a fairy type, and even I could feel that." Rei nodded accordingly, a short-lived smile playing on her face before she went back to sending pulses of energy everywhere.

"Uh, Rei?" Raoul asked carefully, clearing his voice. "What are you doing?"

"Raoul?" Rei said bluntly, making Raoul flinch slightly. Unsurprisingly, both Zaps and Ralts gave him a curious look, but neither commented. "I'm learning Dragon Pulse." She demonstrated on a nearby tree. Thankfully the tree (which was now burning with holy fire) was already decaying, long gone.

"Why?" Raoul inquired. "And why is Ralts here?"

"Because yesterday I only survived because you rescued me with Foresight, and Ralts is here because she is a fairy type, and while not affected maliciously by the attacks, she can feel them and let me know what I need to do differently." Rei replied, before a burst of blue fire rolled off her tongue. "Oh, so that's how you do Dragon Breath..."

Raoul didn't have much of an answer to that, but he knew that she didn't need to push herself so hard. He said so.

"You don't need to do this, Rei. All you've done for a while is push yourself to fight." Raoul felt a tingling of Deja-vu, but decided that it was a good point.

Rei stared at him. Hard. "Raoul, I can't stay here forever. At least not until I exhaust all my options. I need to be prepared." She tossed a stray Dragon Pulse Raoul's way, and he instinctively did a short hop to dodge it.

"Sorry. I'm on edge today." Rei sighed and flopped down on the ground. "I just want to go home." An awkward silence persisted for a bit, where the group of children didn't really know what to say. Then Zaps stepped forward and sat down next to Rei.

"What is your home like?" Zaps asked gently.

Rei considered that. "A place... where it's very... advanced. Where Mystery Dungeons don't exist, and where Pokémon coexist with humans."

Ralts immediately became interested. "Humans? Have you met humans before?"

"I think so," Rei said nervously. Raoul smiled at her to reassure her, and she continued, "they change in different ways to Pokémon. They don't evolve."

"No way!" Ralts awed. "Then... are they all the same size as an egg? Wait, that doesn't make sense." She thought hard, and Rei chuckled lightly.

"Humans don't lay eggs," Rei giggled. "That's silly. But they do grow. Like, the longer they live, the taller and larger they get, although they do stop growing eventually." Ralts gaped in awe, and Raoul brightened, feeling that Rei was relaxing again.

"Rei, do you know why you know so much about everything?" Zaps asked innocently.

"I studied," Rei shrugged. "Or lived somewhere where it was common knowledge. I don't know for sure, but I have a feeling that I know more than the average resident from wherever I came from."

"I've heard rumours from Truthmakers that there is a place where humans travel with Pokémon on journeys, and do loads of cool stuff," Zaps said. "I wonder if that's where you come from."

"That's... definitely a possibility." Rei murmured, looking up at the sky. "I wonder."

"Oh no," Ralts said. "We're late for school!"

* * *

Between the panic that ensued and running for school, Rei stopped thinking about 'what ifs' and 'why mes' for long enough to forget it all. All four of them were utilizing the Extremespeed tactic to rush forward in unbelievable bursts of speed, and Rei was thankful to see that by the time they got there Audino was still at the entrance waiting for them.

"What happened?" Audino asked, but unfortunately Rei forgot to slow down. Barreling into the schoolyard, she made a panicked turn and used a tree to halt her momentum. Riolu had had the foresight not to do the same, but unfortunately that meant that Zaps used him as if he were the same as the tree Rei barreled into. All told, it was a jolly great mess of a quartet of dizzy Pokémon.

Rei was a bit too dizzy to retain anything she heard out of language class, and most of their special health class. It wasn't until Battle class that she resurfaced. Raoul was concerned for a bit, but decided that it would be silly to not let her do anything about her situation.

Rei let her thoughts form through her attacks, as she threw fire at a nearby patch of ground. Trying to figure out what everything meant was a nightmare.

 _Who was that blue Pokémon, Manaphy? For that matter, what was he doing here of all places?_ She wondered as she made a sizeable scorch mark on the ground around her and nearly burned Zaps's tail. _I have a feeling that he has something to do with all this, and he didn't tell me much of anything._ By this point her fire was slowly digging into the ground.

 _And more importantly, what's all this business about a fourth? Should I even trust him?_ Rei considered, calming down for a moment to focus. She didn't even notice how Sneasel and Murkrow were approaching her.

 _I guess the whole thing about Raoul turned out to be right,_ Rei considered, tail waving in the wind gently. _And if that was true, then the fourth thing is also true. And there's the whole don't identify by species, which is so obvious that it probably means something._

Rei thought for a bit, but she couldn't wrap her head around all the facts at once.

 _ARGH! This is so FRUSTRATING!_

WHACK!

Rei grew angry. Not just angry, but increased-energy angry, like she could barely focus. For a moment she regained control, but once more the anger came back, and she quickly went through her options.

 _This is probably confusion status. Best option is to either not attack-_

The energy surged again, and she disposed of that idea.

 _Attack the ground._

She did just that, leaping into the air and swinging down on it, feeling the rock below her give as she hit it. After a few moments, she remembered something from before she'd met Tauros and Miltank, and quickly employed the psychic-type cure.

 _Rest._

Rei flopped onto the ground and slept.

* * *

Rei wondered what was happening. She was running over a wide, fiery expanse of burning heat and unbelievable fire, magma surrounding them as if so many volcanoes had decided to drop off their trash here. Macargo and Slugma looked up from their hiding places as she dashed past, and she barely dared to breathe as she wondered once more what this dream meant.

In a moment of realization, she decided that no matter what happened in this dream, she would just wake up. She felt a warmth on her fur, an alien warmth that reassured her, and she steeled herself and looked back.

She immediately regretted it.

Behind her was a crazed, red-eyed Ninetales, fire dancing across the Pokémon's flank and over its nine tails. It seemed barely able to think, as it chased Rei, and Rei ran.

It was a game of Meowth-and-Pikachu, and Rei knew she wouldn't have time for an attack. No move that she could pull off in enough time was strong enough to defeat this opponent. She prayed for rescue in her mind, even though she knew it was only a dream, as she felt energy being drained from her every movement. Not long now, and she would have to give up the ghost, to what would likely be a terrifying end, like every dream she had.

Then the warmth came back, and she felt strong again. In a brief moment outside of her dream, she wondered if the dream would just be like this constantly. Feeling warmth. Looking back. Seeing a Ninetales out to get her.

Repeat.

She ignored the stray wisps of flame that tried to catch up with her. She poured her new-found strength into a steady rhythm that gave her maximum output while being efficient. She felt her throat go dry and her legs scream for an end to the process, and after a long time of running, running and running, Rei finally gave up.

And, as she did, a bright light flashed behind her. She felt power being offset, thrown away and pulsed out into the air, fading away. She mustered enough energy to turn around, and she saw three distinct shapes, two particularly familiar.

One yellow-and-blue, quadrupedal Pokémon, his fur loosing brightness even as she looked.

One black-and-blue, bipedal Pokémon, palm extended and lowering, turned to face the third figure.

And finally, a small orange one much like herself, blending into the ground below her. Her head tilted slightly, and six tails flirted upwards, before she collapsed to the ground, her head making a dull thud resonate in the earth.

And Rei blacked out.


	16. Chapter 14

Waking up groggily, she felt a pulse of reassurance flow through her as a gentle paw rested on her. She smiled to herself and let out a huge sigh before letting her eyes rest. Voices began to whisper above her, but she ignored them. She was far too tired to pay any attention.

* * *

"Will she be okay, Audino?" Meowstic inquired, after glancing at the gaggle of kids that were crowding around her. "She's already been out for at least two hours."

"She will be fine," Audino replied calmly, forging a path through the group of children, with the proportionately smaller Meowstic walking behind her. They made to send the children away, and managed to get the majority to leave.

Riolu, of course, refused to budge from where he was standing, his palm resting on Rei's side. Meowstic decided not to send him away; it was obvious he wouldn't leave quietly if she tried, and she didn't want to wake Rei forcefully.

"Miss Audino?" Riolu asked gently. "Is she okay?"

"She will be," Audino replied, smiling. "I believe she confused herself. Has anything happened recently which would make her angry or upset?"

Riolu considered that. "I guess she said something about missing home this morning. I don't know, she was training, too..." Riolu shrugged. "It's hard to see what she's feeling without her saying it outright."

Audino nodded accordingly and knelt down next to Rei before applying a lotion made of chesto berries. After a few moments Rei's eyes fluttered open again, and she began hyperventilating.

"Calm down," Audino ordered, and Rei's eyes widened before she slowly worked her way down to a regular, if not slow, breathing pattern. "You went a little bonkers, there. Do you know what happened?"

"Thrash happened. Thinking about too many things at once." Rei shook herself and slowly stood up, one paw gaining strength at a time. "I'm glad I learned rest, if I ever have that happen I can stop myself attacking people."

"How do you feel?" Audino inquired, holding out a paw to help Rei get up.

"I feel slight disorientation, a bit sleepy, and just generally like I want to take a really long nap." Rei said bluntly. "The dizziness might be falling-dream syndrome, though."

"What is that?" Audino asked sheepishly. "It never came up in my medical training."

"Falling-dream syndrome? It's just when something in a dream transfers into bodily effect in real life. So, for example, you jerk like you hit the ground after a long fall when you wake up after dreaming about falling. I had a weird dream that ended with be being dizzy and fatigued, maybe it's the same thing." Rei explained, getting her footing. "Put simply, I feel like it's temporary."

Audino took that in stride. "Great! I suggest you head home for the day, though. You need some rest."

Rei laughed and decided to humour her, walking past the gate by her lonesome while the other students returned to class.

* * *

Rei didn't really think through what she could do. She didn't feel like going outside at first, so she spent a good time reading the rest of 'Aura of Heroes', a fantasy novel about a heroic Lucario. Once she finished that, she went back to the bookcase, scanned it twice over, and sighed when she found that the majority of the books were apparently Miltank's cookbooks.

Stretching, she decided to get some fresh air and cantered out the door, before considering where she could go. In a moment of deep thought, her mind wandered to the pool of water she'd found herself at when she was overcome by the nightmare. The same one, in fact, which she had dropped Manaphy into when he was dehydrated.

 _Guess I don't know a better time to._

* * *

Rei plopped down after a decent distance in front of the pond. It wasn't actually anything incredible, not in appearance, anyway. Shaded by a large willow, and just generally lined with small flowers otherwise, it was certainly peaceful, but it was otherwise unremarkable.

 _Well, I guess I should have expected that,_ Rei thought, a smirk playing across her face. _Not like it's magical or whatever._

It was a nice pond, though. Rei stretched out and lay peacefully in the grass, letting stray blades tickle her fee- _Paws._ She frowned momentarily, but soon shook away the thought, deciding to merely enjoy the grass. She felt almost meditative as she simply lay there.

 _I wonder._ Her mind felt clearer than it had in a while. _The last time I came here after a nightmare, I remembered something. Maybe I'll remember something again._ She focused on the feeling she'd had when she first got to the lake, being freed from the pain and having that crucial moment of memory-filled prophecy.

...

... ... ...

... ... ... ... ...

... _Nah. Not happening,_ she sighed internally and got up. _May as well go home._

* * *

"Hey! Rei!" Raoul called, a small green Pokémon in tow. "This guy needs help!"

"I said my name's Logan..." the green Pokémon said gently, sighing.

"Hello," Rei said politely. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, actually," Logan admitted. As Rei got closer to listen, she noticed that he was a young Larvitar. She smiled at him as a way to ask him to continue.

"Well," he began nervously, "Nearby... past the lake on the path over to this village... there's a forest."

Rei nodded. "I've been there. Go on."

He looked startled for a moment, but shook himself out of it. "There are two bullies there. Well, no quite _bullies_ , more like gangsters or madmen. They go around fighting everybody, and they have this weird empty look in their eyes all the time. The residents nearby can barely go anywhere because of them."

Rei nodded, then considered. "How did you get through?"

"Actually," he admitted, "the residents that could escape quickly distracted them with a rare berry. They've been hoarding berries for a while now, and, well..."

"They came to take the rare one," Rei finished. "I understand. So the goal is to defeat these troublemakers?"

"Yes." Logan confirmed. "I'd heard from the villagers here that you're really strong."

"You betcha!" Zaps called from the door. He leaped out to land next to Raoul. "We helping him?"

"Yes." Rei decided. "It sounds dire." She shook off her exhaustion from earlier that day and followed Logan towards the forest.

* * *

"This is it," Logan announced, as they reached one side of the forest. Rei nodded, and forged ahead. Without anything better to do, Logan followed her, and Raoul and Zaps joined him soon after.

* * *

Rei once again adopted her avoid-as-much-as-possible strategy, though it was harder to execute with four people. Luckily, they had been training, and the dungeon was mostly filled with grass types that she could use Mystical Fire to deal with quickly.

"You guys are strong!" Logan awed as Zaps launched a large Aura Sphere at a group of Cleffa. They all squealed and ran for cover. None of the trio deemed it suitable to mention the _other_ powerful attacks they knew of.

"Not really," Raoul replied modestly, seeing as no-one else was speaking up. He casually threw a force palm into a Timburr, who promptly fell backwards, no longer moving. "we just practice. There's plenty of people stronger than us."

"You think so?" Logan commented skeptically. He launched a weak dragon-typed attack at a Palpitoad that wasn't quite knocked out by the edges of Rei's Mystical Fire. "You seem stronger than Momma, and she's super strong."

"She probably'd outlast us, though," Rei commented. "Our only shot at defeating a highly defensive, highly offensive opponent is to out-speed them and use a seriously powerful attack. I know the troublemakers nearby so it won't be hard, but..." She shrugged. "An unknown enemy? That's hard." She stretched and loosened her (slightly above average) muscles and ran ahead.

"C'mon, this way."

* * *

Rei stopped abruptly near the second-to-last room, and tossing her head as a signal, the group behind her stopped.

"Quiet, I can hear them. Give me a moment, and have attacks ready..." Rei closed her eyes, blocking out the visual distractions, and felt her ears perk as she opened her hearing. A rumbling sound, from somewhere, getting closer. The sounds of Raoul readying a Sky Uppercut, the tingly feeling from Zaps' fur as he readied a discharge, the warmth in her mouth as she prepared a Dragon-typed attack and the dancing-on-coals from the Mystical Fire skipping across her fur. The sound she focused on got closer, easier to detect, until...

She opened her eyes, and with a moment of shock looked up at the ceiling, where the two Pokémon were looking down from a canopy. They smirked, and leaped down, and she barely released her attacks in time.

Raoul's Sky Uppercut also activated, doing enough damage after Rei's attacks to stop them in their tracks. In a moment of bravery Zaps leaped forward and let out his discharge, paralyzing the two larger Pokémon, and he sent out an aura sphere aimed at the Druddigon. Predictably, the Gurdurr jumped in to take the attack, and he stopped in shock as the sphere dodged him entirely and curved in for Druddigon's side, nearly knocking him out. A stray Thunderbolt hit the Gurdurr.

Then, with a suddenness only few could expect, the Gurdurr growled and swung his...girder... and launched Zaps to the other end of the room. Zaps was too far away to get to Logan in time.

"Logan NO!"

As Gurdurr swung his... girder... at Logan, Logan briefly flashed red. Being a strong Pokémon, he didn't get hurt too badly, and he glared up at Gurdurr and the slowly rising Druddigon.

Gurdurr raised an eyebrow, confused as to why the attack didn't take the small Larvitar out.

"Endure plus Bide," Logan smirked. Then, of course, the two larger Pokémon were obliterated by a large red beam of pure power.

* * *

Zaps was dragging Rei, and Logan was carrying Raoul. Logan downed another Oran berry and grinned as a few of his bruises immediately dissipated.

"I can't believe I let that happen," Zaps moaned. "I may be the weakest of the three of us, but... well... we let you down regardless."

"Don't worry about it, Bide is actually the only move I know, and I can't do much other than that. I wouldn't have been able to take them out without the help you three provided." Logan comforted. "I'm glad you were there, you guys are crazy strong. If they hadn't jumped us, you would've won no problem."

"I guess that's true for these two," Zaps admitted. "And now that I think about it I need to do some more serious training."

"Hey, you were the one that didn't faint."

"Also true," Zaps grinned. "I guess I can accept that."

They entered the village on the way to the school infirmary feeling better about themselves.

* * *

Rei felt horrible. She could barely think, and for a horrible moment she anticipated another nightmare.

The reality, of course, was far worse.

Luckily for her, this time she felt it coming, and in her half-sleep she groggily managed to get out to the town square before anything worse happened. Already she could feel the dark energy approaching her...

Then all she knew was **pain.**

 _Run. Run, run run run **run**..._

 _Go away. Please...make the pain go away.  
_

She felt her fur brush up against something hard, presumably a tree. She kept going, aiming for the pool from before. Just running, running as fast as she could. Pumping strength into her legs, nearly flying over the dirt road and leaping into a floppy, fish-out-of-water dive into the pool. Letting the water surround her, pulsing the darkness away. She heard a splash from above, but she didn't care. More pulsing, sending it away.

 _Make it go away..._

 ** _Make it go away._**

* * *

 _"Where are you?"_

 _The words she spoke echoed across the seemingly empty room. She felt an emptiness in her chest as the darkness approached._

 _"Please come back."_

 _Nothing but emptiness replied. She didn't dare fall asleep - surely, she would fall victim during the night._

 _All she could do was stand vigilantly and wait until sunlight touched her._

 _She turned to her door, considering, before getting up and walking out._

 _Trotting down the stairs, glad to be free. Opening the front door to their house, glancing about, a glimmer of light catching her eye._

 _Walking towards it, feeling safe._

 _Seeing a gem, a bright blue gem that shone._

 _Then the stone blinked, and she barely had a chance to move before-_

* * *

"AHHHH!" Rei screamed, jolting up. She slowed down, hyperventilating, as the reassuring sense of breathing and being perfectly fine flowed over her. She sighed in relief, then got up and let herself stand for a few wobbly seconds before she drooped to the floor again. She looked around, first at Raoul, then at the school infirmary.

She briefly wondered why Raoul was moaning, but she could barely think straight.

 _Must sleep..._

And sleep she did.


	17. Chapter 15

Rei fell asleep easily that night. After a day of school being rather calm, she didn't really feel like ruining it with training, so she decided instead to just sleep for once. She didn't expect anything bad to happen.

So, when Rei woke up only minutes past midnight to the sound of a scuffle downstairs, she didn't know what to think. She got up, got her supplies, and creeped downstairs with the delicate precision of a thief. She let her ears catch the conversation.

"...Leave now!" the gruff voice of Tauros rang out. "She's not here!"

"Leave my family be!" Miltank added, and a loud clang, much like that of metal against metal, was heard. Rei cringed and tip-toed downstairs, pushing herself against the wall when she heard a low, senseless growl.

 _Someone is looking for me._

The thought sent terror through her veins. In a panic, she wondered what she could do.

 _It's my fault. They might get hurt because of an outcast like me._

 _I need to disappear, before it's too late..._

She cringed, and with the courage of four Pyroar, she barrelled into the room and launched the shadowy figure at the door back at least a good five feet. She didn't waste a moment, running as fast as she could, the boost from pure adrenaline already coursing through her.

 _Have to get away. Must keep my friends safe..._

She heard the sound of heavy, grating claws digging at the ground as she ran. Her mind flashed briefly to recall the dream she'd had, running from a crazed Ninetales, but this was real life.

There was no looking back just to see her pursuer.

 _Run._

She ran.

* * *

It wasn't long before she heard the dashing of a pair of feet and the pounding of another quadruped behind her. She pushed energy - energy she didn't know she had - into her pumping legs, just hoping to live another day at this point.

 _I ran away from my home. I'm keeping this family safe._

Rei ran.

 _I'm keeping Zaps safe._

Rei ran harder, faster, swifter. Dodging stray attacks, shadows following her...

 _I'm keeping Raoul safe._

She heard a large explosion behind her before she finally gave up. She was far enough away that no-one would bother to go back to attack Miltank and the others.

They were safe...

There was a scuffle going on behind her. She merely panted heavily as she hoped desperately that one of the threats would be eliminated. After a few moments, the sounds died down, and she felt wind rush ahead behind her.

She winced, ready to feel a swift death-

CLANG!

The shadowy form was sent backwards into the woods. Rei forced her head up and glared into the forest, waiting for the form to come back.

It never did.

Rei had the strangest feeling that someone was touching her shoulder. She closed her eyes and rested her head on the springy grass.

She was too tired to think.

* * *

 _Stretching, feeling the wind on her face. Hoping that hope still existed in this world she was in. The cliff was tall and foreboding, something only reached by going through the whole forest. Darkness dogged her step like a sickening vulture, but she didn't care. Just this once, she didn't want to.  
_

 _The Forest. Her heart choked, her mind raced, but she let it all go._

 _She was letting everything go._

 _The forest...it would_

* * *

Rei woke up.

She wondered for a moment how long she'd been asleep, but apparently it wasn't a long time, because the night still reigned over the field.

"Rei?" a familiar, masculine voice asked. "Are you okay?"

"I..." Rei stopped, gasping for air. She knew she was okay, that it was only her mind playing tricks on her... by why?

"Rei?!" This voice was younger...

Zaps. Raoul.

"I'm fine, you two," She choked. "My head thinks I'm choking, but I'm actually just fine." She slowed her breathing until it was regular again, and got up. "You two should head home."

"Yeah..." Raoul said, grabbing her paw.

"No," Rei said suddenly. "Only you two. I've caused enough trouble here already." She shook him off and began to walk away.

"Rei, you can't be serious," Raoul gaped. "That's your home. We're going home."

"Raoul, it isn't my home. People are coming after me. Nowhere is safe." She closed her eyes. "I don't want to put you guys in danger any more."

Raoul and Zaps glanced at each other.

"Rei, that's silly. It's not like we're just going to be perfectly safe if you leave. We're your friends, and we're ready to be in danger if it means sticking with you." Zaps admonished. "You should come home."

"It's too dangerous. Can't let it happen..." Rei murmured. "I need to go back where I came from. I just need to find it..."

Raoul gulped. Zaps seemed like he didn't know what to do.

Stepping forward, Raoul took a few shaky steps until he could reach out his paw and set it on Rei's back.

"I'm coming with you."

Rei gaped at him.

She shook herself. "Are you... and I can't believe I'm saying this... an idiot?" She stared him down. "It's dangerous. I can't let my friends be hurt because of me, Raoul."

"And I can't let you walk off into the woods like a Madmon and expect me to be okay with it. I'm coming with you, whether you like it or not, until I see your silly plan through, because you're my friend." Raoul shot back. He was shaking, but his eyes remained focused.

Rei faltered.

 _Raoul is courageous. He won't let this go. Ever._

 _He's a stronger Pokémon than me. If I run away, he'll stop at nothing to get back. He'll never stop._

 _He'll get hurt._

"..."

"..."

"...fine."

"Wait, what?" Raoul blinked, taking a step back. "That worked? You just... what?"

"You're the most courageous, idiotic Pokémon I've ever met," Rei said. "If I try to stop you, you're just going to keep on going until something horrible happens. It's probably a worse idea to stop you than it is to have you come along."

"I don't know how to feel about that summary," Raoul admitted. "But I'm just glad that I can stick around." He gave her a pure and honest smile.

"I'm coming too!" Zaps said in a sudden outburst. "I gotta!"

"And you're the most fearless Pokémon I've ever met..." Rei sighed. "Fine. But don't get hurt. We don't have time to sleep off wounds." The two nodded seriously.

"C'mon," Rei sighed. "We can find somewhere to rest for the night in the forest."

They left for the forest.

* * *

A/N: stupidly short chapter is short.

I'll be updating three stories, including this one, in rotation, so bear with me. I'm too busy being all author-y and stuff to update frequently on any of them D:

Reviews are appreciated as always!


	18. Chapter 16

Stretching, Rei adjusted her sleeping position under the leafy canopy that the three runaways had decided to use as a home for the night. She opened one eye to watch the two unsuspecting children who had followed her.

"Do you think Rei will be okay?" Zaps asked, electricity dancing up and down his fur as he forgot to control it.

Raoul shook his head. "I don't know. But I trust Rei. She's smart, and she knows more about Pokémon than I do, for sure. She's more likely to be okay than I am."

Zaps didn't look convinced. "So much more is happening to her, though. You saw how she goes mad sometimes! What do we do if it happens again?"

"We grab her," Raoul made a hugging motion, "and we hold her down until she calms down. If you can paralyze her, then power to you."

Zaps sighed. "I guess that would work."

"What do you think we're doing tomorrow?" Raoul asked.

"I dunno," Zaps admitted, thinking. "Whatever Rei wants to do, I guess."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Rei got up and walked over, prompting the two to jolt suddenly in surprise.

"Uh.. hi!" Zaps said nervously.

"If you're wondering," Rei commented, "Tomorrow we're headed out to the Fiery Plains on the way to the Forest of Abundance."

"Say what?" Raoul asked.

"We're headed to the Fiery Plains on the way to the Forest of Abundance," Rei repeated. "we're stopping at the village near the Forest to stock up on supplies and figure out what next, effectively."

"Why aren't we taking the Windswept Plains?" Raoul suggested. "It's faster, and probably safer..."

"Because there's something we have to do there," Rei explained, eyes shifting. "I... I'll explain later. I need to sort myself out a bit." They nodded dubiously, and the three went to sleep.

Sort of.

* * *

Rei opened one eye to make sure that she could think in peace, without worrying about Raoul and Zaps. She rested her head on her paws and considered.

 _Manaphy said something about a fourth. If this group is what he meant, then the fourth isn't here yet... but I have a good idea who it is._

 _If those dreams I keep having are real, then..._

She shook herself suddenly, shivering instinctively at the memory of her nightmare, the one with the crazed Ninetales.

 _I hope that Vulpix - Ninetales - whoever she is is the fourth. But, if that dream was reality... then..._

She purged the thought. _No. That Vulpix is the fourth, and that's all I'm going to do. I need to stop thinking negative._

 _Focus._

 _Fo-cus._

 _Okay. So, Vulpix. Recruit. Go to village. Find out what the heck I'm doing here._

Rei yawned and fell asleep, hoping to dream of nothing.

* * *

"So, which way?" Raoul asked, dashing alongside Zaps to keep up with Rei.

"Northwest until we hit Lake Mayflower, and then Northeast until we find the Windswept Plains," Rei summarized. "From there, we head through the Windswept Plains collecting berries and supplies to keep us going, and we go across Merido Town to get to the Fiery Plains."

"I know I asked yesterday, but why the Fiery Plains?" Zaps inquired, not working particularly hard because he was using electricity to boost his legs as he ran.

"To recruit a Vulpix, because the Powers that be tell me we need to recruit a Vulpix." Rei replied, not bothering to explain more clearly.

They kept running.

* * *

After about three hours, they had slowed down, but Rei's endurance was excellent. She had barely begun to slow from their current walking pace when something began to rise on the horizon.

"Finally!" Zaps moaned, slowing down significantly. "This place is literally an empty field!"

"I suppose you're assuming that we're going to stop for directions," Rei sighed. "Fine. We can rest and have lunch."

Her two friends immediately sat down and refused to move.

"You guys better be ready to run again when I've asked for directions," Rei commented.

"We will be," Raoul assured her, waving her off with one paw. "Relax."

Rei considered that. She was being awfully tense and impatient for something that didn't have a legitimate time limit...

"Alright, you win." Rei sighed. "We can walk."

There was a miniature celebration, and then it became clear that the thing on the horizon was a very large wagon. It reminded Rei of a Gypsy wagon, and while she briefly wondered whether they'd be able to give them any help at all, she figured they would at least have passed Lake Mayflower if the trio were going in the right direction.

The wagon, once waved down, slowed considerably and came to a stop in front of them. Out of the wagon hopped a familiar Snivy, a Dewott, and an Emboar.

"Hi guys!" Vide called cheerily. "What are you three doing out here?"

"Interesting things!" Rei replied before anyone could answer her. "Just trying to find out if there's anyone in the cities and towns nearby who can tell me about myself. Amnesia and all that."

 _Whew, that was close._

"Great to hear it!" Vide smiled. "Can I help you guys?"

"Actually, do you know which way Lake Mayflower is?" Rei asked. "We're using it as a reference point for travel."

"Wait, you're travelling by paw?" the Dewott said, alarmed.

"...Yes." Rei admitted. "Is there a problem?"

"Most definitely!" The Emboar replied. "It's quite far even to Lake Mayflower. We may indeed be using our wagon, but it's quite a long way even just to the Towns around the Windswept Plains. It would take days!"

Rei considered that.

"Do you have any suggestions?"

"Oh! I know, you guys should come with us! We were just headed this way to check out the properties of the Everstone in your village, but I'm sure that you can tell us!" Vide exclaimed.

"I could certainly do that," Rei agreed.

The Dewott looked confused. "What's all this about?"

"Didn't I tell you, Dewn?" Vide asked. "Rei was the one who brought it to the village in the first place!"

"Embos, did you hear about this?" Dewn asked the Emboar.

"No, and I've had enough of this 'erm, boss' from you guys," Embos grumbled.

"But Embos-"

"There! You did it again!"

Dewn decided to stop trying. "So... we don't need to go all the way to the village?"

"Not if we give Rei a ride over to Mayflower, or wherever she was planning to go," Vide said cheerily.

Embos nodded. "A brilliant idea. Rei?"

"I don't see a problem with it." Rei smiled. "In fact, it sounds like we're the end better off!"

* * *

After the group of six had turned the wagon around, they all piled in, and Vide ran over to a crank and began to turn it.

Much to Rei's surprise, she sat down next to Rei not long after, and Rei studied the machinery connected to the wheels.

Each gear turned another, and the velocity was as strong as if someone was turning it, like Vide had been, by the crank. Rei stared at it. Hard.

"Is there something wrong?" Zaps asked, after a while.

"No," Rei said promptly. "I'm trying to figure out how it works."

"Oh, that's easy," Zaps said, grinning. "You just turn the crank for a bit, and that turns the gears, and the gears turn the wheels."

"I'd figured as much," Rei said vaguely. "but what about why it's still turning? The laws of physics wouldn't allow it."

"The... laws of... what?" Zaps asked, confused. "Fiss-Sicks?"

"You... don't have that around here?" Rei asked. "Y'know... it's a list of rules that the universe abides by. It's a study of the nature of time and space."

"Uh... Rei?" Zaps asked. "You do know that Palkia and Dialga control time and space, right? They could easily change something about it whenever they wanted to."

Rei considered that.

"I think... I need to go sit down for a minute and re-evaluate the credibility of my knowledge," Rei said shakily. "Give me some time." She sat down in a lonely corner of the wagon and stared incredulously at the crank.

Rei was panicking.

 _I guess I never considered before how very controlled this world is. How gods and goddesses are real, living things that speak to them. It's so alien to me. But why?_ Rei winced. _Even the basic laws of Physics are being denied. I didn't even think for a second that the Pokémon here would actually have time-gods and space-gods. How... strange._

Rei sighed and got up, staring once again at the large set of machinery inside of the wagon.

 _Alright, time to discover what this is all about._

 _So._

 _Let's start with: Why does this not make sense?_

Rei stared.

* * *

Dewn watched as Zaps came back.

"How is she?" he asked politely.

"Just fine," Zaps said, though uncertainty riddled his voice. "I think she forgot about Palkia and Dialga, so she considered how things worked wherever she came from to work the same way everywhere else."

"I doubt there would have been much difference between your town and ours," Dewn said, in a hope to give her the benefit of the doubt, "But it is indeed strange, how she thinks like so." He turned to see her get up and stare at the machinery again. "At the very least, she seems to have a strong grip on what is possible and what is not. It probably shook her to have something fundamental changed."

"There you go with the wise-guy talk again," Vide muttered.

"It makes sense to me," Zaps said honestly, before sitting down. "And I know Rei is super-smart, but she often doesn't make much sense when she gets technical."

Dewn nodded, considering.

A few minutes later, Rei walked over.

"Hello," Dewn greeted politely, shifting over to make space. "are you feeling better?"

"Much better," Rei admitted. "I figured out what I was applying that doesn't apply here, so I just went through the laws of physics until I found the one it denied, and decided that it doesn't apply here, or at least is so weak that certain things can happen anyway."

"I see." Dewn replied, smiling. "It is curious that where you come from, these things are different."

"As far as I remember," Rei replied, "wherever I come from is a place where nature is not at the whims of some very powerful beings."

"Interesting."

"This is all quite entertaining," Embos said, "but I'd like to hear about Everstones now, if that's all right with you."

"Of course," Rei replied.

"So, Everstones," Rei began, mostly to herself. "They look like this." Rei held out her Everstone necklace, and Zaps and Raoul did the same. The other three travellers examined them.

"It feels... strange," Vide admitted. "Like... it's stopping a pressure."

"That's the energy of the Everstone," Rei explained. "It's the opposite to evolution energy, so it prevents evolution."

"So it only works for non-fully-evolved Pokémon?" Embos inquired.

"Not for certain purposes, like preventing evolution, since it only does that if the Pokémon isn't evolved yet," Rei said. "But as for the evolution pressure that Pokémon have been feeling... It stops Pokémon from going bonkers from it, period."

"That's brilliant!" Embos exclaimed. "Do you know where to get more?"

"Not anyplace that isn't a shrine," Rei admitted. "But if someone found any I'd know it when I saw it." Embos nodded.

"Then you'll just have to come with us to the capital!" he decided.

"Embos, she may want to do other things first..." Dewn commented.

"I told you earlier to stop with the 'erm, boss' stuff already!" Embos grumbled. "and I already thought of that. We can get the mailer in Merido to tell the capital we won't be back on time, and then she can have some leeway to do what she needed to."

"I appreciate it," Rei acknowledged. "now, Dewn?"

He looked up.

"Could you maybe tell me a few things?" she asked. "About this wagon? And other very confusing things? You seem to understand better than me."

Dewn nodded. "Sure."

The two walked into a corner and began talking enthusiastically.

* * *

Raoul didn't know how to feel.

Right when Rei was walking into the corner with Dewn, he suddenly felt... strange. Like there was something he ought to be doing about it. It irked him, made him feel a bit stressed, even jealous.

But why?

Just then, he felt a leafy hand pat his shoulder.

Vide whispered, "You like her, don't you?"

"Well, I thought that was obvious, she's my friend," Raoul replied, a bit confused.

Vide giggled. "D'aww, you're cuter than I thought! Geez, that's not what I mean."

"Then what do you mean?" Raoul asked.

"I mean that you _like her_ like her," Vide attempted. "Like, _really_ like her, in a different way than other Pokémon."

Raoul tilted his head.

"I can see this isn't going to be easy," Vide sighed. "The point is, I'm the same with Dewn. So, we work together to make sure nothing... unsavoury... happens between those two."

Raoul tilted his head again. "Okay, I guess. If you think it's the right thing to do."

"Definitely," Vide nodded. "Now, let's see if we can distract them."

* * *

"So, Cresselia controls Dreams... and Darkrai nightmares?" Rei asked once more.

"Yes," Dewn confirmed. "They do."

"That has... interesting implications. Is it possible that Cresselia runs Theseus because she doesn't have as many duties as everyone else?"

"I never thought of it that way," Dewn commented, "But I presume it must be so."

"Actually," Rei said in a quieter voice, "Do you mind if I ask you a more... personal question?"

"Go on," Dewn replied, in a clearly practiced whisper.

"Are you... in love with Vide?"

Dewn gained a shocked expression, but beyond tensing, he didn't show it.

"You... are very observant." He said.

"So I'm right, it does work like that here," Rei relaxed. "I'd hoped as much. Now I know what to do about Raoul."

"Eh?"

"Well, It's kind of obvious that he's interested in me," Rei continued. "I wasn't sure if my way of dealing with it was acceptable. From your reaction, I know it should be."

Dewn sighed. "So I was just experimental..."

"Hey, don't worry," Rei comforted him. "If you want me to, I could help you out or something. If that's even possible. Of course..." Rei stared across the room, to where Raoul and Vide were talking.

"It's obvious that she has a thing for small Pokémon," Dewn said sadly. "I shouldn't have evolved so quickly."

"I doubt it," Rei said, ears twitching. "How good is your hearing?"

"Uh, not very good," Dewn admitted. "I took a blow to my left ear last year, so it's not quite what it was before I joined the Truthmakers."

"I see," Rei commented, trying to decide whether to tell him what Vide was talking about. She made note that Vide was horrible at being secretive.

"Why is it that Rei knows so little about where she lives, by the way?" Vide asked him, in a whisper that Rei could hear clear across the room.

Raoul shifted uncomfortably. "I can't tell you. I would be breaking my promise if I did."

Vide seemed sad at that.

"Thanks, Raoul," Rei called.

Raoul grinned at her, and Vide was left gaping.

"You... by any chance you didn't hear all that?" Vide said sweetly.

"I'm sorry, was it a private discussion?" Rei inquired, laughing. "I'm afraid I've got the best hearing of everyone here."

Vide slouched over gloomily.

"Give me a moment," Rei said to Dewn, who nodded dubiously.

Walking over, Rei waved Raoul away, and he complied by listening to the heroic story Zaps was being told.

"I'm... uh," Vide stuttered.

"Hey, it's fine, I already know how Raoul feels," Rei comforted. "and I'm aware of your situation as well."

"Wha-"

"Look, just calm down and listen," Rei ordered. "trust me."

"Right." Vide managed. "But I guess it's kind of hopeless."

"Definitely not," Rei contradicted.

"But you-"

"This isn't about me," Rei insisted. "It's about you, and it's about Dewn. I know it seems hopeless, but seriously, the more hopeless they seem the more likely it is that they like you."

Vide sighed. "Alright. I'll try. But I bet he likes you more. I've been trying for months, and he never talks so openly."

"Well, duh," Rei said sarcastically. "Because everyone talks openly with their crush." she gave Vide a look.

"...oh." Vide said quietly, a gentle smile growing on her face. "I think I get what you're pointing at."

"Point is, you shouldn't worry," Rei said. "If he liked me that way, he'd be stuttering and acting weird. He isn't, so obviously he has no romantic interest in me." Rei smiled. "But when it comes to you..."

Vide was staring dreamily into the distance.

"I guess my work here is done," Rei grinned. She walked back over to Dewn. "Now, where were we?"

"We were talking about relationships, I think," Dewn said uncomfortably. "What were those two talking about?"

"Oh, things," Rei shrugged. "Slightly... interesting... things."

"Like?" Dewn urged.

"I don't know, probably not my place to say," Rei said, nonchalant, before turning around. Her eyes locked with Vide, and Vide jumped before running over to try and fit in with Zaps and Raoul.

"Why can't you tell me?" Dewn complained. It didn't fit him.

"Because maybe it's private." Rei shrugged. "But I'll say this, just some friendly advice. I suggest being less formal. It's... well, it's the kind of mistake people make when talking to someone they like."

Dewn nodded seriously. "Right."

Rei sighed and sat next to the window, watching the scenery go by. She shifted.

"Hey, is it me, or is that Lake Mayflower?"

"So it is!" Embos said exuberantly. "I'll continue the tale of the telepathic Timburr later!" Zaps moaned sadly and Raoul simply got up and walked to the door. Vide ran to the crank and pulled it backwards, and the wagon came to a stop.

* * *

"So, what did you want to do here again?" Embos asked as Rei walked towards the Lake.

Rei stretched. "I wanted to see if I could meet someone. It just seemed like the kind of place where I'd find one."

"One what?" Dewn inquired.

"An Uxie," Rei replied. "They're said to be the Pokémon of Knowledge. If I wanted to know anything, they would know."

"Wow," Vide commented. "Sounds really cool..."

"Mind you, I might find a Mesprit or an Azelf instead, if I find any of the Lake trio at all, which is unlikely," Rei commented. "Regardless, it can't hurt to try."

"Alright then!" Embos announced. "I'll stay here and be a stopping point for you guys. Dewn, I suggest you check within the lake itself. Vide, you head for the forest." The two saluted and ran ahead.

"You two?" Rei inquired, getting the attention of Raoul and Zaps. "I'm going to scout out this cave over here. do either of you want to-"

"Yes!" the cried simultaneously. Both rushed the cave at full speed.

"Hey, wait!" Rei called, following them in.

"Gosh," Embos said once they were gone. "They remind me of what Dewn was like when he first got here."

* * *

A/N: A longer chapter for you guys today. I have been missing for a while on this one, but I'm back.

Hopefully.

Honestly, I haven't heard form my beta in a while, so that's a bit awkward, but I'm sure I can sort that out. Just bear with me.

Enjoy the chapter!


	19. Chapter 17

They started down the hall cautiously, Rei having used her Protect skills to stop them running in totally blind. With quiet steps they treaded past shadowy figures, the dripping of water on the ceiling the only discernable sound.

It was longer a path than they'd gone in a while - probably bigger on its own than even the entirety of the village - but there wasn't a Pokémon to be seen.

"This is creepy," Zaps admitted, padding the ground nervously. "I mean, usually I'd be happy that there weren't any of those Broken Dreams around, but..."

"I know," Rei replied in a whisper. "This place is pretty isolated, though. But whatever lives here would be-"

"AHHHHHHHH!"

"What was that?!" Raoul cried, taking a few instinctive steps towards the source of the cry.

"Dewn," Rei answered, before breaking into a run.

* * *

"Oh dear Arceus above kill me now..." Dewn muttered, kicking with all his might. It was bad enough that he had to swim, but this was a nightmare.

Fight a Kyogre? No thanks.

Unfortunately, that left him one option: Run for your life.

Maybe Vide or Rei would be able to save him if he got to them before the Sea Basin Pokémon ate him as a quick snack.

He pulled a quick manoeuvre to get out of the way of a stray pulse of water, losing momentum, and desperately kicked his legs as he tried to pull himself away from the gaping jaws.

 _For goodness sakes Kyogre is a LEGENDARY! What chance do I even have?!_

He forgot everything as he rose to the surface.

 _Nearly there... nearly there..._

Then, a peeking aura of light glowed at the edge of the lake. In a split-second decision, he began swimming towards it, and the giant fish chasing him heaved it's flippers to turn its incredible mass towards him.

He leaped out of the water and was pulled out by a familiar pair of blue armoured paws, and he heard a large SNAP behind him as the jaws of the large creature snapped shut.

"Oh dear god," he murmured, "Praise be the luck of idiot Americans..." He shut up quickly, but he caught Rei narrowing her eyes.

 _Oh no._

 _Well, she is a smart Pokémon._

 _Let's hope she doesn't kill me after she rescues me from the Kyogre._

* * *

Rei was... confused.

This Kyogre... there was something notably _wrong_ with it. It was silly, but she just knew it wasn't the real Kyogre. Either it was possessed, or it was fake.

Either way, hitting it really hard would probably get rid of the problem.

"Alright everyone! Band together!" Rei called, as the Kyogre floated on the lake. "Riolu, see if you can pull off a Sky Uppercut! Zaps, stay back and charge as much as you can, and let out bouts of electricity! Make sure to stay standing, you're our only type advantage right now!" She stared at Dewn.

"... I don't know how you know about Americans, but I can guess," Rei said slowly. He gulped. "Look. Go find Embos and Vide, then come back. I'll need you for something later." He nodded seriously and dashed off into the undergrowth, eager to get away from her glare.

Rei turned her attention to the Kyogre.

"Oi! You there!" She called, charging an attack even as she spoke. "What do you think you're doing attacking our friends?!"

There was no reply, just a roar of rage exactly like all the ones before.

"Alright, probably fake," Rei reasoned. "It would reply if it were possessed, or at least acknowledge me. Welp, time to attack." She shivered, then launched a ranged shot of Dragon energy, which prompted the Kyogre to growl audibly.

Just then, Zaps finished charging, and managed to get a Thunderbolt to hit him directly. It roared in rage and glared at him.

Raoul called out in a vague shout, distracting it, before launching a volley of Aura Spheres in its direction, causing it to dive underwater to dodge.

Rei heard rustling as Vide and Embos arrived, Dewn in tow. They immediately took fighting stances.

She cringed as stray water hit Embos, sputtering out on his neck-flames as he shook himself violently. Vide ran to the edge of the pool and sent out Leaf Storm after Leaf Storm, which seemed to be doing less damage than it should.

Rei sneaked over to Dewn and nudged him towards the edge of the lake, away from the battlefield.

"Listen carefully," Rei ordered, as she pulled her Everstone necklace off. "I need you to do something very dangerous. I need you to take this Everstone necklace with you, and I need you to grab onto the Kyogre's back and hold the Everstone to it's skin. Understand?" Dewn gulped.

"You think... I can do it?" He asked fearfully.

"I don't think. I know you can," Rei said firmly, pushing it into his paws. "Trust me." He nodded, and with a final shiver of anticipation, he leaped into the water and swam away.

Rei could already feel tendrils of dark energies crawling over her skin, but she had a plan this time. Rushing to the edge of the water, she used her aura grip to throw them at her adversary.

It worked, and it seemed incredibly effective. The Sea Basin Pokémon howled in pain, and Rei cringed as she felt the darkness coming faster.

 _C'mon... C'mon..._

She started pulsing it out, ignoring everything except for the Kyogre.

It screeched displeasure and dove, and Rei forced herself to hold off on the attacks.

She could see Dewn swimming closer.

 _Hurry._ Her mind begged. _I can barely take this any more._

* * *

Dewn swam as he'd never swum before, reaching out with one paw as he saw himself getting close. A few times he merely grabbed air, but he felt it this time. This time, he had it.

He reached out and-

 _OH GOD._

His paw fazed through, hitting nothing at all.

 _It's all an illusion!_

He aborted his mission and ran over to Rei, who was crackling with Dark energy.

"Rei! I can't! It's all an illusion!" He cried, as the Kyogre leaped up again, ready to fight.

"I thought so!" Rei replied through her teeth. "Look, it's weaknesses are Dark, Bug and Ghost. Hurry and attack, and try to get the necklace on whatever results." She yowled a pitiful moan with abrupt suddenness, nearly collapsing. "Look... I... need to... Dewn... protect them." She cringed, slammer her eyes shut, turned around and ran, pulses of darkness matching her footsteps.

"Rei!" He cried idiotically, thinking she would stop if he tried. He let out a shaky breath before running back to bring the news.

* * *

"Dark types?" Raoul asked, stopping his attacks. "I can do that!" He repositioned and began to fire Dark Pulses at the Kyogre, who cried out in agony again.

Moments later, the illusion flickered, revealing a much smaller Pokémon deep in the center of the illusion.

"C'mon! We just need to get it to faint, then I can get the Everstone onto it!" Dewn encouraged, firing his shell-sabers at the place he had seen the small Pokémon.

Zaps let out another Thunderbolt, hitting the small Pokémon directly, and Embos did his part by sending up a Sunny Day to weaken the water attacks that were being sent at them.

Dewn's shell-sabers returned, and he saw both Raoul and Vide getting tired.

"Will you two be okay?" he asked seriously, distracting the Kyogre with a large, weak attack.

"I... don't know," Vide gasped. "I'm tired. I have to... use weaker attacks, or different ones. I've exhausted myself." Dewn immediately felt a pang of guilt, running over.

"I'm okay, but I can't manage any more Dark Pulses!" Raoul cried, firing a haphazard Aura Sphere. "We can't hit it's weak point!"

Just then, a blazing movement came from the trees, running with agile movements to leap into the air and land a powerful Foul Play on the Kyogre, shattering the illusion completely. It gripped the small Pokémon in it's maw and swam to shore doggy-paddle, allowing those on shore to realise what it was.

"That's... an Umbreon!" Vide gasped, daring herself to believe what might have happened.

Rei, or in other words the Umbreon, dropped the small Pokémon on shore, snatching the Everstone from Dewn and pushing it up to the Pokémon's chest.

It's breathing steadied, and the dark energy surrounding it dissipated, allowing them to discern what it was.

It was a Mesprit.

Mesprit floated upwards, clinging tightly onto the Everstone, before letting out an exuberant cry and flying happily in circles, its two bejewelled tails flailing behind it like banners in the wind. It finally slowed down and sighed happily, its deep golden eyes opening to observe its surroundings.

"Hello _!"_ She cried, smiling. Rei blinked, and a few moments later she was consumed by a flickering orange energy.

"Rei!" Raoul cried, grabbing her side. She slowly shrank, until her new fur retracted and she was once again an Eevee.

"Hi, guys..." she murmured softly. "I found out what it's like to evolve and devolve in a matter of minutes."

"Are you okay?!" Zaps inquired seriously, fur sparking with electricity.

"I'm fine," Rei insisted, smiling at them. "Apparently Dark-types are immune to that... energy." She shivered. "Who did I save? I couldn't see it, not while I was a dark type..." She blinked as a pink-headed Pokémon flashed into being right in front of her face.

"Hi!" she smiled, doing a little spin. "I'm Mesprit! Thank you for saving me, missus! Can I help you?" she paused, then bowed deeply. "I'm so sorry if I hurt you! The bad, dark aura-y thing made me lose control! It was horrible, and all I could think was to attack!"

"I know the feeling," Rei said soothingly. "it's happening all over. Keep that stone with you, and it ought to protect you." Rei paused. "Vide? Embos? Can I ask you two for a favour?"

"Yeah?" Vide inquired, Embos right behind her.

"Could you... check on the cart? Zaps, you too. I want to ask Mesprit a question, and it's... something... well, I'll explain later." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just not ready to discuss it with anyone else right now." They nodded understandingly, although Zaps was slightly indignant, and soon it was just Dewn, Rei, and Raoul.

"What didja want to ask?" Mesprit asked, giggling and patting her Everstone affectionately.

"I was intending to ask an Uxie, since I suspected one would know," Rei began, "but I was curious as to... if I was actually human. And where I would find my history - who I was - if I was a human." Rei paused. "I think Dewn may be, as well, though he probably retained more of his memories." Raoul jumped, and Dewn sighed in defeat.

"First one is easy!" Mesprit replied in a giggly manner. "Second one, not so much. But I'm sure big sib Azelf could tell you." She paused for a moment, her eyes flashing white.

"Yup, you'n Dewn are definitely Humans. No doubt, your emotions are far too strong for Eevee or Dewott." She giggled. "Mister Riolu seems special too, but I can't put a paw on it."

Raoul raised an eyebrow.

"Y'see, mister Riolu is super passionate and loving," Mesprit explained. "Like it's almost what he's made of. Passion and Love." He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Gee, that sounds kind of... cheesy?" Raoul tried. "Was kind of hoping for something cooler, but..."

"Hey, it's the coolest there is!" Mesprit replied, spinning around him in an orbital fashion. "You wouldn't want to be made out of Disgust or Anger, would you?" Raoul shook his head violently.

"I'd take love over that any day of the week, thanks." he answered quickly.

"Where would I find Azelf?" Rei asked, hoping to get back on track.

"Oh, Azelf's in Serenity Town, with Lady Shay-shay!" Mesprit explained. "That's past the Fiery Plains, through the forest of Abundance, and then there's a little village called Merido, where my sib Uxie lives! Then you follow the yellow brick road!"

Dewn visibly twitched at the last part.

"Hehehe! Just kidding, the road is just dirt. I thought that would be funny," Mesprit grinned, tapping Dewn on the head.

"Thank you," Rei said sincerely, denying to comment. "we must be on our way now. C'mon, let's go." Rei shook off her fur and began a gentle pace towards the cart when Vide came running back.

"Rei! It's really bad!" Vide called, panicking. "The Cart is wrecked!"

"What?!"

* * *

A/N: I'm back guys!

So, what do you think about that cliffhanger? (cackles) I will now disappear for a while and leave you waiting! Mwahahaha!

Just kidding, I'll work on the next chapter right away. I've got some energy today!


	20. Chapter 18

"Oh," Rei said faintly as she stared at the ruins of the Cart. It had literally been pulled to pieces, to the point where there were barely any boards left.

"How did this happen?!" Dewn asked angrily. "We were here up until a few minutes ago!"

"I don't know," Embos growled. "But if I find the culprit, I'll be sure to stick 'em in jail, right after they taste a face full of Wild Charge!"

Rei padded among the debris, looking around for something. If there was even one-

 _Yes!_

She ran over to the clawed piece of wood, studying it carefully.

 _Okay, so... three indents... definitely a downward stroke, and not horns, so claws..._

 _Oh._

Rei felt a wave of foreboding in her stomach as she realised what species must have done this.

 _An Absol did this._

She turned to see Raoul and Zaps chatting a ways away, and sighed.

 _I'm in danger, aren't I?_

"What do we do?" Dewn asked, sitting down next to her.

"I have an idea," Rei replied, "but first. About being human..."

Dewn listened.

"... I want to know about under what circumstances you got here, and some other things. Can you tell me about your life in Theseus so far?"

"Alright," Dewn agreed. "And there's more than one of us. I'm one of four that were found by Vide and Embos passed out in the desert."

"There are four?"

"Yeah. All of us decided to become Truthmakers while we find out how to get home. I don't really want to go home any more, because of Vide, but..." he shrugged. "My friends do. So, the Truthmakers provide food, lodgings, and a beneficial image, and we also get to find out about the world, while we help them protect their world." he shrugged. "It works for me, and for everyone else."

"Right," Rei agreed. "I see. I'm actively searching out my past right now, since I've lost most of my memories. I just woke up in the Altar of Serenity one day, without any idea what my life had been up until then, just some basic facts about myself. I'm acting on a prophecy-type thing right now, I need to find a Vulpix in the Fiery Plains."

Dewn nodded. "I see. Good Luck."

"Same to you," Rei smiled. "And also, a brief warning. This damage was done by an Absol. Beware if any try to have you do things in the future." Dewn nodded seriously.

She got up and walked back to the group, of which Mesprit was now a part, talking excitedly.

"Oh, this makes me so mad!" It cried in frustration. "How dare somebody do this to you guys!"

They all began to speak their opinions at once, but Rei's arrival distracted them.

"What next?" Zaps inquired, hopefully.

"Well," Rei commented, "I have a suggestion, if Mesprit is willing."

"Anything for my friends!" Mesprit called happily.

"I suggest long-distance teleport," Rei explained. "Dewn, Vide and Embos to Serenity City; Zaps, Raoul and I to the edge of the Fiery Plains." Mesprit twirled around.

"Sure! I can get the energy for that, easy-peasy!" Mesprit grinned. "When you're ready!"

Vide stepped forward. "I guess this is goodbye again," She announced.

"True," Rei smiled. "But we're going in the direction of Serenity City after the Fiery Plains, Forest of Abundance, and Merido. It may take a while, but it isn't forever."

"Yeah," Vide said brightly, "but I want to send you guys off anyway. So, goodbye, and good luck!"

"Same here!" Embos announced. "Once you make it to Serenity City, make sure to drop by to hear the end of the Tale of the Telepathic Timburr, okay?" Zaps nodded eagerly, but Rei noticed Raoul roll his eyes once the attention was elsewhere.

"Same here, Zaps, Raoul, Rei." Dewn said calmly. "I hope to see you all again. And good luck to you all."

"D'aww!" Mesprit squee'd. "You're all so cute like that! Oh, it's teleport time, isn't it? Okee-Dokee, away you all go!"

VVVWIP!

* * *

"Woah!" Zaps cried, wobbling and falling on his face. Rei landed a bit less haphazardly, landing on her feet, but she also struggled to stay on her feet.

Raoul, unfortunately, had been somehow flipped upside down during the teleport, and landed on his head.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow..." he moaned, gripping his head.

"Once you're sorted, we're setting up camp for today," Rei called, putting down her backpack and pushing some rocks nearby into a formation. "I think building a camp will take all the strength I have left."

"Right!" They both replied, caring for their minor bumps and bruises.

A few minutes later, they had a crude shelter. It didn't have a roof, but the walls of stone would protect them from the winds, and Rei had dug holes to help keep them warm.

They all said good night and went to sleep.

But not for long.

* * *

A/N; Sorry about the short chapter, nineteen will be out right after this one.

Also, if anyone got the reference (which I doubt) there is an Orchid nicknamed 'Mayflower' that is pink, with four main petals - it kind of looks like Mesprit's head, particularly Laelia speciosa, so I thought it was fitting.


	21. Chapter 19

This is the second chapter today.

* * *

Rei woke up in the middle of the night, feeling an eerie silence.

Then she realised that everything was on fire.

 _Oh no. This soon?_

She leaped to her fee- _paws_ and quickly scanned the scene. She shouted to get Zaps and Raoul to wake up, and the three ran for their lives.

"What happened?!" Raoul asked fearfully.

"I don't know!" Rei snapped. "But be ready for a Ninetales!" She pushed herself beyond what she thought she could do, speeding up and dashing past the other two.

As she'd thought, there was a Ninetales yowling in the center of the field. As the dark energy emanating off of her reached out to Rei, she instantly gripped her chest.

 _So this is permanent, huh. Works for me._

Rei shook her fur and stared at Ninetales, standing her ground, as the yowling menace launched more fireballs at the ground around her and glared at Rei.

It was almost as if she was sizing her up, but then her expression flickered, as if she were trying to overcome something. Rei instantly made the connection.

"Race," Rei murmured. "Follow. You can be saved." With a quick turn, she motioned for the Ninetales to follow, and ran.

Memories, almost deja-vu type thoughts, ran through her head as she heard the thudding of paws on the ground and felt her body shrink down into a more streamlined form. She desperately cried for Raoul and Zaps to get the Everstone onto the Ninetales, before focusing her entire being on running.

* * *

"REI!" Raoul cried desperately, running as fast as he could. The Ninetales ignored him, and to extension Zaps, being totally and utterly focused on Rei.

 _I let this happen, didn't I?_

He pushed the pessimistic thoughts away and kept running, Everstone in hand.

"What should we do?!" Zaps asked breathlessly. "We can barely keep up!"

"Thunder wave, you idiot!" Raoul snapped. "Slow her down!"

Zaps complied by sending out a wave of weak shots in an attempt to paralyze the crazed Pokémon. It took at least ten minutes, but finally, one of the trickles of electricity zapped the Ninetales and made her slow significantly.

He felt his heart beating out of his chest as he ran with all the energy he had in his body. He growled instinctively and watched as Rei panted for breath.

Suddenly, the Ninetales glanced back, flashing red eyes glaring at him, and he was stopped just long enough for her to kick as she ran, sending a wave of sand into his face. He slammed his eyes shut, and felt Zaps send out his electrical currents to navigate.

"Raoul! Aura!" Rei cried in the distance.

And suddenly everything clicked.

* * *

 _"Hey,"_ _Rei asked one evening as Raoul blinked into awareness. "Did I ever tell you about the Riolu in my home region? Where I came from?"_

 _"No," Raoul admitted quietly, shifting to listen without waking Zaps up._

 _"They were honoured, revered as noble and powerful Pokémon." Rei said. "It was considered a high honour to train with one or with one of its evolution. It was said that- that people who trained with them, with enough skill, could master the art of Aura."_

 _"Aura?" Raoul inquired. "Like in Aura Sphere?"_

 _"Yes," Rei continued. "Like the life force of everything that exists. I was curious if you could blind-fight like the Riolu and Lucario of my home."_

 _"Blind fight?"_

 _"Oh, so that's a no, then." Rei sighed. "I'll figure it out, I'm sure. It was described as seeing the life around you."_

 _"Huh."_

* * *

He could see. Not in the way that he saw normally, with vivid colours and defined forms, but the pale blue light that shone from the cores of everything around him, filling up their form like a glass of pale, floaty water. With renewed strength he ran, watching the turquoise of Zaps, the odd black-blue of the Ninetales, the very form of the earth and everything within it below his feet.

But most stunning of all was Rei.

It wasn't as if he couldn't see her before he had to blind run. She was running, but she was the smallest among them, and her fur blended in with the hard red earth. Now, in the bluish cacophony of life, she was a glowing orb of existence dashing over a field that paled in comparison. In her he saw more variety than in anything else.

He decided, at last, that he would have to aim for Ninetales and hit her enough to slow her down so he could catch up. Forming life in his paws, he began volleying it at her, aiming for the mass of life that loped gracefully across the field. Shot after shot, legs beating a rhythm into the earth as he felt his body drain itself in the effort.

 _Nearly there. Hold on, Rei, I'm coming._

* * *

The magic of it all was that she remembered this. She remembered how to pace herself to have just enough strength. She remembered how long it would take. She knew she could do it.

And yet, she felt her strength leaving her. She felt the overwhelming amount of power being spent in each lope. In the spur of the moment her focus sharpened, and she saw the sweat glistening off her mane, the Macargo and Slugma peeking out from behind rocks and within sludgy piles of molten lava, the ground beneath her as she picked her way through the fiery expanse.

She looked back, saw the deep regret behind the eyes that glowed red as they remained ever on her miniscule form.

Then, suddenly, it all stopped.

She collapsed, felt the last drop of energy leave her as her paw caught on something, and in a brief moment of time she wondered if she had failed somehow.

Then, with a bright flash, she suddenly felt very, very cold. She shivered, then found the energy to get up and walk, then to sprint, then to run. Whispers of flame tickled her back, but she ignored them, and focused purely on running.

There was a loud bang, and then she saw a pillar of fire in front of her, and winced as she skidded in an attempt to stop.

Instead, she went right through, unharmed.

Thanking her lucky stars, she collapsed to the ground and tried to absorb the heat from the earth.

 _Why? Why do I feel so cold?_

She felt her skin tighten, her fur retract again.

 _Did... did I evolve?_

Her beating heart dared her to believe it was all over as she twisted with effort to see what had happened.

There was a bright flash which blinded her momentarily, as she saw two familiar figures, and one she didn't recognize which emerged from the light. Raoul was in the act of lowering his paw. A reddish-brown Vulpix emerged, and stumbled a few steps until Zaps ran up to her and steadied her, his fur flashing as he absorbed the electricity remaining in her fur.

Rei noticed the Everstone necklace tied to her neck, and after a few shaky steps the Vulpix shivered, her six tails flirted to the air, and with a final sigh she fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Then, unable to stay awake any more, Rei blacked out.

* * *

She stirred much later, feeling the beating rays of the sun on her fur. Shivering, she stood up, and briefly checked herself to make sure she was still herself.

She froze, feeling odd. Since when had she thought of this alien body as her own?

She shook off the feeling with some fear in her mind and looked around.

She was back in the rock formation, with Raoul sleeping not far away, and Zaps tending to the Vulpix she had seen earlier. Padding over, she gave a checking glance to Zaps, then patted the Vulpix gently on the shoulder.

"...Huh?" she murmured groggily, shivering. "Where... what happened?"

"You succumbed to the dark aura that's been affecting people lately," Rei answered. "You're currently on the ground, in a makeshift hut, in the Fiery Plains. My name is Rei. I'm the Eevee you saw yesterday. This is Zaps, and the Riolu sleeping over there is Raoul." She absorbed this information as she lay there, her mental gears turning.

Getting up, she shook herself off and smiled at Rei. "Thank you," she said, voice wavering. "I don't know how you managed to save me, but I really appreciate it. I was so scared..."

"It's alright," Rei assured. "As long as you wear that necklace, you ought to be safe. Plus, we're here with you."

The Vulpix checked her neck, seeing that there was indeed an Everstone necklace on her - Rei's Everstone necklace.

"Will you be okay?" she inquired with deep concern.

"Yes," Rei announced with more confidence than she felt. "If the aura approaches, I automatically evolve into an Umbreon."

"But... wait a second... where's the Flareon?" the Vulpix asked.

"The Flareon?" Rei repeated. "That was probably also me. I tend to de-evolve... I don't know why, actually. It's rather strange, now that you mention it, but it's only been happening for a day or so, so I can't say for sure what the details are." Rei made a mental note to do some research later. A new thought occurred to her, and she asked, "So. What's your name, and what are you planning to do from here on out?"

"Me?" she said, pausing. "Of course. My name is Cinder." She did a short, respectful bow before continuing. "I... well, I don't really know what to do from here. I'm... not really strong enough to get back to the village on my own."

"Right." Rei nodded. "We're headed up through a couple of towns. I would suggest that you join us, if not so that you can catch a ride back to your village, then to help us reach our goals." Rei paused. "Which as of now include defeating whatever is causing the Broken Dreams. The Broken Dreams are becoming too big of a menace to ignore."

"I'll help," Cinder announced hesitantly. "I may not be strong, but I still want to help. I'm sure I could figure out something that I could help you with."

"Then welcome to the team," Rei grinned. "More formally, I'm Rei. I lost my memories, so I'm searching for an Azelf and Uxie to help me regain them, or at least find out what happened. While I'm at it I'll probably ask about the Broken Dreams, too, and talk to the Truthmakers there." She pointed to Raoul. "He's Raoul, the Riolu. He's really noble, and I'm sure he can tell you what happened yesterday in more detail." She smiled fondly.

"I'm Zaps," Zaps jumped in. "I'm a Shinx! I'm really good at paralyzing Pokémon, which is what I did to you yesterday! I'm helping these two because they're my friends!" he wagged his tail eagerly.

"Um... I'm Cinder," Cinder decided to describe herself. "The Vulpix. I'm... not quite sure what happened to me, but I used to live in a small village with a Tauros and a Miltank who adopted me, a long time ago. Then one day I felt loads of pain and I ran to try and not hurt anyone..." she stared at her paws. "I don't know much else. In my head, I'm still really young."

Suddenly, Rei felt a paw on her shoulder. "I'm Raoul," Raoul added, smiling at Cinder. "I really want to be a Truthmaker one day, but I want to help out Rei first. I think I can do more good helping Rei than working for the Truthmakers right now."

"Alright, now that introductions are over, we'd better get packing," Rei announced. "We need to get to the Windswept Plains and cross it. On the other side is the Forest of Abundance, in the center of which is Merido Town, where we can sleep, talk to the local Truthmakers and the locals themselves, and figure out the fastest route to Serenity City while passing Lake Buttercup."

"Lake Buttercup?" All three of them inquired.

"Yes, Lake Buttercup," Rei confirmed. "This is why we pay attention in Geography classes. Lake Buttercup is a lake between Merido and Serenity claimed to be the home of a member of the Lake Trio. Since we've already met Mesprit on our way here, and since Ze claimed that Zir sibling Azelf is in Serenity City, that means that the only member of the Trio that could be there this very moment would be Uxie."

"Ze?" Cinder inquired curiously.

"Genderless pronoun," Rei answered. "The lake trio don't have genders, so I referred to them with genderless pronouns."

"Oh."

"C'mon," Rei urged, stuffing her bag with the supplies that had been left out. "We only have half the day left to make progress."

* * *

A/N: I've decided to focus all my efforts on this for a while. Don't worry, my other projects haven't been dropped, I'm just brain-dumping here.

Happy Valentine's Day!


	22. Chapter 20

Cinder awed at the little forest village, treetop homes being nearly as common as those built on the ground. The residents were mostly common to the area - Weedle and Caterpie, Mankey and Aipom. The bigger Pokémon didn't look quite so native, but one group in particular stood out.

"So... Oran berries, check... Sitrus berry supply, check... Gravelrock supply, check..." Rei muttered in the lobby of the Truthmaker's building, which was naturally quite a bit larger than the other houses around. Cinder was looking out the window, paws on the sill, while Zaps and Raoul went over the plans again.

Just then, a small group of Pokémon walked in. A Beedrill was among them, sharp stingers held at his sides in an attempt to be less threatening in appearance. An Ambipom rushed around energetically, his two tails waving at everyone he saw, and a Primeape led the group, arms crossed. Nearby groups cheered on their arrival, and the Primeape raised an eyebrow when he saw the new group.

"Oi, you there," he asked Cinder, who turned around to face him.

"Yeah?" Cinder said, tilting her head.

"Who are you and your team-mates? I haven't seen your group around before." He asked.

Cinder blinked. "Right, of course! I'm Cinder, from the village past the fiery plains and lake Mayflower," she explained. "My friends over there are also from that village. The Riolu is Raoul, the Shinx is named Zaps, and the Eevee is our leader, Rei. I'm the newest member, only joined yesterday, so Rei is probably the one to ask about things." Primeape nodded and turned to Rei, who was still counting off their supplies.

"Thorns, check... Escape Orbs, check!" Rei said with finality, closing the bag. "Good, we've got everything." She turned around when the Primeape tapped her on the shoulder.

"Are you Rei?" He asked.

"Yes," Rei confirmed. "I'm Rei. Do you need something?"

"What are you doing in Merido?" he asked, sitting down. "I would like to hear. We are the lead group in this area at the moment, so it is part of our duty, you see."

"We're headed for Serenity City," Rei explained, sitting down herself. "I... due to some confusing circumstances, I lost my memory. We're going to pass by lake Buttercup in hopes of meeting the Uxie that's supposed to be there, and then on to Serenity to talk to the Truthmakers there and see what I can do about it." She paused. "We're also trying to figure out a more effective way of preventing the dark aura that's been around recently. Surely you've felt it?"

"Yes," Primeape nodded. "It is why our team is fully evolved. We managed to break free of it, but it still pressures us. It worries many." he considered. "You said, 'more effective'?"

"Yes," Rei nodded, pulling an Everstone from their supply. "These are countermeasures to it, which is why I have my team-mates wear them. It's worked perfectly so far, but I don't know how easy it would be to get enough Everstone to everybody, and it certainly isn't permanent."

"True, but if that stone works, then your work already is impressive!" Primeape praised her. "May I see one?"

"Have one," Rei said, giving it to him. "It'll make this village safer."

"Thank you kindly," he said grandly, taking it carefully in his hands. "It... it is true. This feels very different, and I can feel the pressure melting away as we speak."

"Exactly," Rei smiled. "I'm sure that there's a better way, but for now, it works." She shivered. "Woah, maybe that one was doing some of the work, I just felt a surge of dark energy."

"Right," Primeape nodded. "If you ever need assistance when we are available, we will be sure to help."

"Thank you," Rei said sincerely. "I appreciate it. Actually..." she frowned. "Do you... know any Dark-type moves? I've been having trouble fighting ghost-types recently."

"That is true," Primeape nodded seriously. "You, being a normal-type, do not have much in the way of effective moves, do you?"

"No," Rei nodded, "and I can't always rely on Umbreon, either."

"You know an Umbreon?" Primeape inquired.

"No," Rei grinned. "But if I'm too saturated by that aura, I become one." She demonstrated. "If I pull down my defenses like this..."

Vwoosh.

Primeape blinked at the newly evolved Umbreon, then gaped as she promptly turned back.

"I haven't figured out any others yet, but I hope to," Rei announced. "I evolved into Flareon yesterday, but it was an accident."

"Hey, maybe if I set you on fire again-" Cinder suggested.

"Not in the Truthmaker building!" Rei shouted, making Cinder recoil.

"Right, right, sorry," Cinder sighed. "I keep forgetting."

"No problem," Rei smiled. "Worst comes to worst, I'll learn a water-type move."

"Well, how about we work on Foul Play?" Primeape suggested. "It's a well-rounded move."

"Sounds good to me," Rei nodded. "Guys? Do some training, and otherwise relax. Cinder? We'll work on that fire theory later." They nodded and got up, deciding to get to work.

* * *

It was evening when Rei finally managed to pull off a reasonably powered Foul Play without auto-transforming into Umbreon, but she was glad of it.

"Good," Rei nodded. "I don't have any glaring weaknesses any more."

"I am glad to have helped," Primeape announced, waving to his team-mates, who were duelling with Rei's team-mates. It seemed to be that, while typing was fairly one-sided, Zaps and Raoul had managed to paralyze both of them early in the battle and were currently managing a group of fairly certain passes onto the team of Beedrill and Ambipom. Cinder was watching carefully to observe the power that the team displayed.

"I ought to do some training with Cinder, actually," Rei decided. "I haven't had a chance to work on a move-set with her."

"I will leave your team to practice, then," Primeape said, waving over his friends. "Good luck, Rei."

"Same to you," Rei bowed respectfully. "Good night."

* * *

"So, what moves do you know, Cinder?" Rei asked, sitting down on the ground with their new team-mate.

"Not many," Cinder admitted. "I don't actually know any specific fire-type moves at all, and the most I can manage offensively is a Take Down or a Tackle."

"Right. We'll start with two moves for you, then," Rei decided. "First off, Mystical Fire." Rei got up, and aiming at an open space, she inhaled deeply and shot out a strain of fire.

"Wow!" Cinder exclaimed, grinning. "That's cool! You're saying I can do that?"

"Sure you can," Rei grinned. "If an Eevee can, you can!"

"Right," Cinder nodded, inhaling. She let out a breath which did indeed catch fire, but it only lasted a few seconds before going out.

"Aw..." she mumbled.

"C'mon, you've just got to put more gusto into it," Rei urged her. It took at least an hour, by which time they were going by the light of the houses around them and Raoul and Zaps had gone to bed, but she finally managed a Mystical Fire.

There was a short celebration, before Rei said, "One last move before bed. It's going to be useful if you want to keep up with the rest of us." Cinder nodded seriously, and luckily got Extremespeed down quickly, being used to a streamlined form and dainty movements.

"Alright," Rei said, breathing heavy. "Let's go to bed for today. We can continue training tomorrow."

"Yea-" Cinder snuffled, breathed in, and sneezed suddenly. Rei hopped out of the way and stamped down the small fire that had started.

"We'll... have to do something about that, won't we... maybe a fire-resistant handkerchief?" Rei suggested.

"Yeah," Cinder said through a stuffy nose. "Sounds good. They might have one in the capital."

"Rei!" A gruff voice rang out, and the sounds of paws on the ground were heard.

"Yes?" Rei called.

"I am a friend of Absol's," the Absol said. "Named simply 'Sol'. I warn that tonight is a night with dangers abound-" He was cut short by something as a 'whoomf' of air indicated that he'd fallen to the ground.

"Stay Alert!" Rei announced, arcing her back and hissing gently. Cinder did the same in a much more fearful fashion, stepping slightly closer to Rei for protection.

As the shadows were chased away in her sight, she saw Primeape, but something was terribly wrong. A small child, what appeared to be a Mankey, was running for his life.

"Behind us!" Rei called, prompting the Mankey to run for them. he cowered behind them as Primeape tromped over slowly, his eyes dark and dead.

Rei fought the urge to swear. She had been mistrustful of Absol, but this friend of hers had told the full truth... she shook herself and glared at him, attempting a mean look.

"What h-happened to u-uncle Primeape?!" the Mankey stuttered.

"He's a Broken Dream," Rei murmured. "Hurry, kid! Get to the Truthmaker's place and find a Riolu and a Shinx. Tell them I sent you, they'll protect you." He nodded fearfully and ran away, as Primeape got closer.

"Cinder," Rei ordered. "I need you to have your Everstone on his fur for long enough that we can get his sanity back. It's what we did for you. Stay on the run, and make sure that anyone nearby gets out of the way while we deal with him."

"Right!" Cinder nodded, before dashing off with one of the Everstones in her mouth.

Rei arched her back and stared Primeape down. She went quickly over her options and settled on breathing fire.

Sending out a few which hit him, she saw him moving his arms in a specific way, and she became curious as to why. Sending out a powerful Mystical Fire, hoping to counter it, she instead got double the power back.

She heard the desperate call of Cinder as she saw the extreme ball of fire aimed at her, and she cringed automatically. It flowed over her body and pulled at her fur, making her feel ill. She dropped to the ground and growled internally, before feeling a familiar tug at her fur. She cringed and yowled as she felt her mane grow, her fur stretch out into a thick orange coat, and her body grow its own fiery tufts of fur. She shook herself, and grinned.

This time, she leaped with new energy, sending out more fire and letting it cover Primeape completely, being far more powerful than before. A few moments later, an entire wave of fire was sent back at her and flowed over her fur.

She grinned manically.

"HA!" She cried, throwing fire in all directions and getting Primeape burned in the process. "Flash Fire, buddy!"

She dashed forward in Extremespeed, dodging a series of close combat attacks, and whacked him with her tail, sending him stumbling backwards. She leaped up into the air and came down in a Body Slam before he could get a Counter out, and then drowned him in a series of overpowered fire attacks.

She paused when he glared ferociously.

"Oh, shoot. Anger Point..." she dashed backwards, as he launched out a series of powerful Brick Breaks and other fighting attacks, and she put up a Protect just as his hand came down near her neck in a neat chopping motion.

She winced and dashed around, not daring to get close, then realized that there was something she could do. Powering a shield similar to Protect, she put in the effort to send in a second pulse just as a Guillotine finally hit.

BOOM!

The attack, incredibly powerful, punched into Primeape with the force of a freight train. Unfortunately, he didn't wake to be purified; he merely fell over, and stayed that way as Rei put an Everstone necklace on him.

"Right," Rei nodded. "I wonder what happened to-"

BANG!

Just as she spoke, Beedrill and Ambipom came rushing through the door, looking incredibly overpowered. Raoul and Zaps followed, volleying attacks at the two crazed Pokémon at every opportunity.

Rei grinned. "Cinder?"

"Yeah?" She asked, a bit fearful of this destructive personality that Rei had as a Flareon.

"Let's burn them."

Then, there was a whole lot of fire, which probably wasn't very healthy for the forest, or Ambipom, or Beedrill.

* * *

Rei gasped for air when she finally de-evolved.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, as a few nearby Poliwag put out the fires. "I... got carried away. I really like fire."

"We can tell," Beedrill said irritably, as a few Pokémon treated his burns. "I felt it. Regardless, thanks. You stopped me going absolutely crazy." He looked thoughtful. "Have any spare Everstones?"

"A few," Rei nodded. "I think that I'll look around while I'm here. They aren't dreadfully uncommon, thank goodness." She frowned as an Aipom came up to treat a few burns.

"Don't bother," she said, waving him off. "Uh, one moment." She got up and poked Cinder.

"Yeah?" Cinder asked.

"Mystical Fire, please." Rei said, pointing at herself. "I want to be a Flareon for a few moments to get rid of these burns."

"Right," Cinder nodded dubiously, then paused.

"What's wrong-"

"Ahhh... Ahhhh... CHOOOO!"

Rei was a Flareon.

"I'm kind of glad I can do this..." Rei muttered.

* * *

A/N: I had an extra day off because of a snowstorm~!

I love the winter!


	23. Chapter 21

Rei yawned and blinked as she woke up in the comfortable sleeping conditions that the Truthmaker Building had to offer.

 _Right, right, I'm in Merido._

She got up and walked downstairs, waving politely at passerby who noticed her, and paused when she reached the kitchen.

Pokémon of all shapes and sizes were running around, eating as if their life depended on it (which, in a literal sense, it did). She stretched and joined her team at one of the quieter tables, and thanked a Timburr that came by holding plates of food instead of the customary log.

She ate slowly for the most part, and yawned quietly a few more times before she felt fully awake.

"So, Rei, what's today's plan?" Cinder inquired curiously, tail wagging slowly.

She blinked. "Forest of Abundance. Today we're going out hunting with Primeape's team for some Everstone, tomorrow we're going back to head for Lake Buttercup." She yawned. "So, in summary, we're going to collect supplies today and leave tomorrow for the city."

This satisfied Cinder, and thanking the chefs, she ran off to train outside.

They finished their lunch soon after, and Rei trotted outside to retrieve Cinder.

"Hey!" she called. "We're going! C'mon!"

* * *

The Forest of Abundance was similar, in some ways, to the School Forest, but its incredible immensity and the great, well, abundance of basic needs just lying around was a very good pointer to the fact that it had been named well.

"What should we pick up?" Cinder asked.

"I suggest Apples, Oran Berries take priority though. Sitrus is even better. Make sure that we have enough room for... let's say... ten things. Just in case something one-in-a-lifetime comes up." Rei decided.

They spread out, each being particular to certain items they thought the team would need. Keeping to the path, Rei decided that she'd need to hold on to more elixirs and TMs than the others were; she was getting used to the idea that battles were common.

Then, turning around, she heard Raoul yell something unintelligible and saw Cinder dash forward to help. She moved forth herself, seeing a speck of blue among the undergrowth, and slowed to a stop as she reached the commotion's center.

There in the bushes where Raoul had been searching was a young Azurill, who was trying to wipe away tears with her tail. She sniffled for a bit before Cinder took a few steps forward and sat next to her.

"What's wrong?" she asked, using one of her six tails to wipe away the tears of the young Pokémon. "Are you hurt?"

"Nuh-uh," the Azurill replied, shaking his head. "I'm not hurt. Mommy and Daddy were, though. I don't know where they went, and I..."he sniffled a bit, then finally burst into tears again.

"Don't worry," Cinder said soothingly, continuing to wipe the tears as they came. "Take deep breaths. Stick with us for a bit, okay? I'm sure we can help you."

"Who- Who are you?" he asked, breathing deeply.

"I'm Cinder, a Vulpix," Cinder explained, "and these are my friends. The Eevee is named Rei, Zaps is the Shinx, and Raoul is the Riolu."

"Hey," Rei said, coming closer. "What happened? Can I help you?"

"I..." he searched for words. "Mommy and Daddy left at night... and they never came back. I was scared and got lost and..."

"Stay calm," Rei advised, as Cinder reached forth once more to calm the sniffling child.

"Let's take him back to Merido," Rei decided. "We'll see if anyone there recognizes him or knows his family."

"Here," Cinder said, lowering down to the ground. "Climb on my back. You can ride out the walk."

"Okay," he smiled beyond his tears, finally calming down enough to stop crying. "Okay!"

* * *

"You say you found him in the Forest Of Abundance?" Primeape inquired, looking at the boy with gentle, observant eyes.

"Yes," Rei replied, quietly hoping that someone would recognize him and approach them. "He claimed that something happened to his parents... we're not quite sure what to do."

The young Azurill was currently playing with Cinder, who had taken on the role of caretaker automatically. She tossed her tails around, allowing him to try and catch one, though she was quick enough that he probably wouldn't be able to unless she let him.

"There is a folk-spoken truth around here that there is a Guardian in the forest," Primeape commented thoughtfully. "Perhaps if you find this Guardian the child will be safe in his presence."

"It's the best we've got," Rei decided, getting up. "C'mon, guys! We've got some adventuring to do!"

* * *

"The further parts of the forest are much darker," Azurill explained, leading the way through to the shrine of the Guardian. "Mommy and Daddy and I live in the outer forest so that we have access to the village, but I never went with them. They said I would on my next birthday."

"I see," Cinder said amicably, trotting next to the bouncy child. "I'm not sure where I live, exactly. I was lost until Rei found me."

They went farther, Raoul and Zaps scouting the undergrowth to deter anyone who might come close, and Rei walked a short distance behind the pair, watching carefully for anything sneaking up behind them.

"Where are we going, Cinder?" Azurill inquired after a few moments of silence.

"To the shrine of the Guardian," Cinder explained. "We should be able to meet the Guardian, who will protect you until your parents can be found."

"Oh," Azurill said quietly, not sure how to take that. "Okay."

* * *

Azurill was right when he said that the further parts of the forest were darker.

It was so dark, in fact, that Cinder was glowing, the fiery nature of her fur making light. For that, Rei was inevitably thankful, although it also meant that the group was sticking closer together.

What she had also failed to notice was that after they entered the deeper parts, the foliage was so thick that they occasionally had to burn their way through. Old paths were present, but they were already overgrown, and for this reason Cinder was put in the lead.

"How close do you think we are?" Zaps asked quietly. "I know it's silly, but if anything showed up we'd have to fight. This is basically a straight path."

Rei's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing, merely letting a bit of the dancing power in her surface on her fur.

Then, Azurill tripped, and he fell.

Downwards.

There wasn't enough time to say anything; the group silently thought the same thoughts and all of them leaped down the new hole they'd found. They tumbled down together, Rei reaching out with extended paws to grip Azurill's tail and hug him to her chest.

They landed in a pile at the bottom. Quickly separating, they all made to check on Azurill.

"I'm fine, I really am," he protested, Cinder still fussing over him. "Not a scratch, see? Where are we, by the way?"

For the first time since they fell down they looked at their surroundings. The great mound of grass they were on was part of a great canopy of leaves so dense that it held up small waterways that ran in a great network around the islands. The biggest area of water, the center of the room, had a simple stone carving placed within it.

Rei hovered over it with great curiosity. It seemed so... familiar. The smell of the forest, the peaceful running water-

Then, she felt an undeniable **_pain_** as she tried to read the words, so strong that she had to take a few steps backwards just to stay conscious. It seemed that her movement was interpreted differently, as Zaps walked forward and read the words himself.

"Huh. 'All remains silent in the Sea of Trees. Anguish last only a moment compared to the eternity of peace'?" He paused. "I wonder what tha-"

BOOM.

The five in the room were bumped into the air as if a small earthquake had started. A series of resounding bumps shook the room as a mound surged forth from within the lake and tromped forward slowly, each booming noise and shaking of the room matched by the creature's movements.

"HOW DARE YOU!" It roared, and for a moment Rei felt like she was floating away. She was brought out of her thoughts as vines whipped forth and began grappling at the group. "THIS PLACE WAS PEACEFUL BEFORE YOU GOT HERE!"

Rei leaped over a swipe from the longer vines and grabbed Azurill in her maw, putting him in the corner. She allowed herself brief satisfaction before leaping back into the fray, where Raoul and Zaps were already whaling on the vine creature.

"Cinder! Use your fire!" Rei cried. "Hurry!"

A few moments later, everything within a five-meter radius of Cinder caught fire, and Rei leaped through it, before returning a Flareon.

"Alright!" Rei grinned, the fiery part of her surging forth with the volcanic power she'd summoned. "Time to melt this popsicle stand!"

"Raoul, what the heck is a popsicle?!" Zaps asked before yelping as a vine slapped down inches away from his paws.

"I don't know!" Raoul replied, "but if I'm not mistaken, it's a bad idea to stick around when Rei is about to shoot off a hyper beam!"

And with that, the two of them jumped out of the way as the bot of pure energy surged forth and burnt away a group of vines that fell to the ground. There was an audible sigh of disappointment as the vines that made up the room moved to fill the space.

Rei glared at it as it approached. Flames played around her maw, and as she spoke, her voice was now pure fiery attitude.

"Right! Your defenses are either pinpoint or group... and I'm going to say that whichever it is, a good fire ought to burn you to the ground! TAKE THIS!"

She took a deep breath and sent out a huge stream of pure fire. It flowed over the creature and it cried out, unable to pull itself back together, but soon Rei had to stop. Panting, she leaped out of the way as the creature itself lay still, recovering from losing a good chunk of its vines.

"Cinder! Help me out here!" Rei called. "Over this way!"

"What do you want me to do?" Cinder hissed as she dodged yet another vine.

"We'll exchange. You start throwing fire at it, tell me when you're tired and I'll take over. We keep switching until we find it's core, then all of us start whaling on it!" Rei explained. "Go for it! I'll explain to Raoul and Zaps!"

Cinder nodded and summoned flame over herself, breathing in deeply and letting a steady stream of fire flow out from her muzzle, designed to leave it aflame. She kept herself steady as it tried to get away, keeping her flame aimed at its center, until finally she had to stop and let out a cry for Rei to know.

Said Flareon bounded over and immediately washed furious flames over the creature, its defenses dropped from when Cinder had stopped. It hissed as the deeper vines were burned away, and finally a chirpy voice hissed at them.

Cinder watched on as Zaps and Raoul dashed forth. Quickly figuring out that they wouldn't be able to enter the cavity inside without burning themselves, she came to a quick decision and leaped in herself.

Then, there was a shaking movement, and the vines closed around behind her, leaving her in what should have been darkness.

Instead, in front of her, was a glowing green entity whose leafy body glowed with the light of what must have been life itself.

"Why are you here?!" She cried, hugging herself defensively. "Why are you here at the sea of trees?!"

"We met an Azurill who lost his family," Cinder explained, attempting to dim her fiery fur as her paws burned the vines she stood upon. "He told us that the guardian of the forest could help him. On our way we fell down a hole and ended up here..." She attempted a gentle smile, hoping plain honesty would work.

"Then who read that plaque?" the green entity asked, clearly confused. "Only people who want to be here read it..."

"Zaps, the Shinx, did," Cinder explained. "We're explorers of sorts... we're sorry if we shouldn't have. Rei seemed stung the moment she looked at it, so it spiked our interest."

"Stung?" it inquired, floating forward a bit. "Like... in pain?"

"Yes," Cinder replied. "And it isn't the first time strange things have happened to her or around her. But she's powerful, so I trust her."

There was a moment of silence, and then the vines fell away. Cinder immediately went on the defensive, hoping that Rei and the others would see.

"Cinder?" Rei inquired carefully. "Are you okay? What just happened?"

"I'm fine," Cinder smiled. "Really. There's no need to fight any more, I'm sure we can sort this out."

The green globe of light came forth, hovering around Rei in intricate patterns before pausing in front of her.

"You're detached," it said, its voice conveying its displeasure at this. "Him, too. You guys are weird. What're your names?"

"My name is Rei," Rei greeted, dipping slightly into a short bow. "And the biped behind me is Raoul. The one with the electricity in his fur is Zaps, and my friend here is Cinder." As she spoke, her fur retracted back into her base form. "I've lost my memories... I'm afraid that I don't have many answers for you as to why I am... 'detached', as you put it."

It paused, then smiled. "Oh. Oh, I see. How nice to meet you."

"Is it just me, or did that Pokémon's attitude suddenly change?" Zaps inquired.

"I'm sorry," Rei said with hints of impatience, "but we don't know who you are. Who are you?"

There was a flash, and the green globe formed into a green Pokémon. Said green Pokémon was a Pokémon that Rei remembered.

"It's you!" Rei cried. "I never got to thank you for what you did for me. Thank you." she dipped again, lower this time, and the green Pokémon giggled.

"I prefer Celebi!" She smiled, circling Rei. "And it wasn't a problem at all! So, friend! What was it you were here for again?"

"We were trying to help this little guy find his way home," Cinder chipped in, pointing to the Azurill who was still sitting in the corner with a confused expression on his face.

"Right-o kiddo! Azu, you're sticking with me for a bit!" she cried, lifting the child up to his feet. Soon she had him giggling along with her childish behaviour.

"Right, we'd better get going then," Rei announced. "Which way is out?"

"Hmmm?" Celebi turned around. "Oh, yes, that. Well, first, I'll teleport your friends... let me see.. you first," a poof sound was heard as Zaps went up in a puff of smoke, "then the biped over here..." and another popping sound, louder than the first, whisked away Raoul. "and Cinder!"

Pop!

Rei paused.

"I wish to speak with you," Celebi said much more seriously. "Your team is strong enough to stand alone for five minutes. So!" She clapped her hands together. "You want to become human again."

Rei was about to react strongly to her secret being so blatantly put, but she then remembered the nature of the time-traveling deity before her and instead sighed and replied, "yes. If it is at all possible."

"Hmmmm..." she hummed, her small hand holding her chin in a thoughtful pose. "Some advice. Your friends may very well turn out to be your enemies."

Rei blinked. "I... that makes sense enough. But... without trusting anybody, how far will I really get? It's only because I trusted those three that I was able to get this far."

"True enough," Celebi admitted. "Choose someone to trust, then. Up to you, kiddo."

Rei thought for barely a moment. "Raoul."

Celebi paused. "Sounds good to me... although he's hiding secrets of his own," Celebi admitted. Shrugging, she gripped Azurill's shoulders. "Don't worry about us. Now... one, two, three... Pop!"

POP!

Rei was in the town square along with a set of confused team mates.

 _Note to self, teleportation is very disorientating._

Stretching, she collected her confused friends and returned to the rooms. After all, they had a long day tomorrow.


	24. Chapter 22

The peaceful morning breeze carried the voices of four adventurers as they followed someone different than usual.

"It's definitely this way," Raoul assured them, putting the map away. "We just have a mountain or two to climb, and we'll effectively be there."

"This... Kingdom," Rei inquired, calmly following her friend. "You wanted us to meet the ruler? Like, the queen? Are you sure she'll even have time for us?"

"Even if she doesn't, which is unlikely," Raoul replied, "there are lots of Truthmakers, and even the Justice Three will be there! I'm sure _someone_ in Serenity City can help us!"

"Justice Three?" Rei inquired, tilting her head.

"You haven't heard of them?" Zaps asked incredulously. "They're only the most famous awesome Truthmakers known to Mon!"

"I thought that was Kaz's team..." Rei sighed.

"More specifically, they're the founders of the Truthmakers," Raoul explained. "Virizion, Cobalion and Terrakion. Individually, Virizion the Wise, Terrakion the Strong, and Cobalion the Serene. Cobalion is their leader, and Virizion and Terrakion manage the politics and training involved in the Truthmaker's work."

"Right, super-important head honcho Pokémon, gotcha." Rei nodded. Zaps sighed in exaggerated exasperation at this, but said nothing.

"Right, now, where's lake Buttercup on this?" Rei inquired, peering over the map herself. Then she looked up.

"Oh. Oh. Okay." She shrugged and walked towards the lake at the bottom of the basin formed by the two mountains.

Cinder dashed up next to her. "I don't quite remember... why are we going to lake Buttercup again?"

"To find Uxie," Rei explained. "The Mesprit we met before told us her sibling Uxie would be here. I want to ask a few things, mostly about who I might be... and ze might be able to help us out with a long-distance teleport."

Cinder took that in stride. "Right! Race you all to the bottom!" She sped off, and soon the three others gave in and matched speeds, dashing down the hill.

They slowed as they reached the edge of the water, the silence pressing itself upon the group. Rei frowned as she saw the clear stillness of everything around the lake, the eerie absence of life disturbing her. She flirted her tail irritably and allowed her ears to go on overdrive, listening for anything out of the ordinary.

A strange whistling sound, very far away but approaching at incredible speeds that Rei could never hope to achieve herself. Wincing as it became louder, she called, "Everyone - duck!"

WHOOM.

There were edges of dragon fire on her fur that she quickly rolled around in the dirt to put out. Getting to her feet, she stared disbelievingly at the meteor that lay in the clearing, still flaring with the surging power of a fantastic blue flame.

"What is that?" Cinder asked, taking a cautious step forward. Rei stopped her, holding a paw forward, then sighed and walked up to it.

"It doesn't look-"

Just then, her skin began to crawl as a purple aura began to form on the surface of the large rock, rolling over the surface like waves in the ocean. Taking a step back, she turned around and called, "Everyone, be careful, there's something there!"

Their fur bristled as it glowed brighter, and she had only a moment's notice before it was blown to pieces. Being closest, dirt and stone flew into her eyes and she desperately tried to wipe it away, taking a few steps back instinctively.

"Rei!" Raoul cried, before a startled yelp distracted her from her attempts to clean her eyes. Her ears sprung up as she tried to listen for what was going on - but all she got were cries of shock and surprise littered among the sound of explosions around her.

She paused for a moment too long and felt the wind part for something driving itself towards her. She winced and braced herself for a powerful attack-

And barely felt it at all.

She felt almost _wiser,_ in fact, as her mind sorted itself instantly, and stood taller on her feet as she focused, allowing her emotions to be pushed to one side. The world flashed to life, becoming clear as day, in a package of coloured tones, all co-ordinated and well organized, the dirt barely obstructing her sight any more.

And, in her new sight, she could _feel._ It was, in many ways, like the psychic pulses she felt before, expressing Kaz's emotions from back when she'd met him. And, in her moment of clarity, she wondered what would happen if she took the lamenting emotions she felt from the ghostly energy in Raoul's hands as he sent out shadow balls to try and hit the creature, although they lost focus and trailed off before they reached it.

A ball of rage and sadness and fear balled itself in front of her, and she threw it at the creature without a second thought. In a moment of contemplation she felt the wave of expression as it cried out in pain, though the voice-like cry was more anger and rage rather than pain, as she'd hoped.

She glanced at Zaps, whose electricity was barely visible - of course, electricity didn't express emotion - and saw as it flashed out, but fizzled before it got close to the creature, that shone like solid power formed into an alien shape. Where had she seen it before?...

"What do I do, Rei?!" Zaps cried, bringing her back to reality from the slow-motion thinking. She winced as he yelped, the edge of a launched Psychic nipping his toes.

"Sneak up on him and attack!" She cried. "Get to the other side and climb up!"

"Right!" He nodded, running off as Rei shot off a barrage of Shadow balls, hoping to hit the creature. Instead, she saw the power split itself into a great number of copies, separating and twisting around in a great group. Only the edges of the attack hit anything worthwhile as it teleported away.

"Cinder! Help me find the real one!" She cried.

"Right!" Cinder agreed, shaking herself. "One moment!" Bounding forward, she released a weak but large attack, the burst of flame flashing a raging red in her vision before enveloping the first creature, which twitched violently in the air before beginning to dissipate.

Rei watched closely as the flames edged onto another nearby creature which also caught fire. Soon enough, there were a good number of fireballs flying around violently in the sky, until only three were left.

Rei focused once more and sent out a trio of Shadow balls that struck the three creatures, the middle one crying out in pain and flying higher.

Rei smiled to herself, satisfied with the success, until a surge of power to her side shocked her back to thinking properly. She swiveled around to see a burst of Psychic energy strike Raoul from what appeared to be nowhere at all.

"Raoul," she breathed, wincing. Quickly surveying her options, she pushed them all away a moment later and ran forth, taking a shadow ball to her side and staggering as she reached him.

 _Right, right, Psychic type. I must be an Espeon._

Taking a deep breath, Rei reached into her pack and pushed a Sitrus berry into Raoul's mouth, throwing up a Protect shield as another attack flew in at them and splashed off it harmlessly. He blinked and looked up at her for a moment, then smiled.

"Thanks, Rei." He reached in the bag himself and pushed a Sitrus berry at her. "You too."

She accepted reluctantly and turned to face the creature again, feeling Raoul use his paws to wipe away the dirt. She blinked as she took in the scenery.

 _A Deoxys!_

She paused again and closed her eyes briefly, catching sight of Zaps on a ridge behind the mountainside across from where she was. Opening them, she watched with bated breath as he charged up and launched a huge discharge which left all but one of the Deoxys behind. It coughed and rose higher, dodging a last thunderbolt from Zaps, and Rei did some quick thinking.

 _Maybe... If I do this, then that..._

She felt her chest tug her forward, and in a split moment she was suddenly in front of the creature, her thoughts slowed down into organised files. With the clarity of the moment she reviewed her options and let off a huge Shadow Ball, which enveloped the Deoxys, the lingering emotion in its body fading to a wisp before disappearing altogether.

She opened her eyes and realised it was literally and utterly gone, just... vanished. Like what emotion was there had been remainder from a powerful mental event...

and then, breaking back into reality, she remembered what she'd done and fell twenty feet into lake Buttercup.

As she crawled out, once more an Eevee, her fur waterlogged and her ears drooping, she gave Raoul and Zaps a glare.

"Not. A Word." She turned to Cinder. "Flamethrower, gentle heat, please. I don't feel like having wet fur for more than five minutes."

Her team mates held back giggles as she was dried off by an amused Vulpix.

* * *

"What do you think that was?" Raoul inquired, sitting down next to Rei, who had decided a lunch break was in order.

Rei thought for a moment. "It seemed to be forged out of pure emotion. I believe it was much like the Kyogre from before... except much more powerful, because it was separate from its creator. I seriously hope nothing has happened to Uxie. I suspect she made it during extreme mental stress, likely a life-threatening situation."

There was a brief silence as they all shivered at the thought of something so powerful that it could scare a legendary Pokémon.

"Hey, do you think we'll ever have to fight something that powerful?" Zaps asked. "Like Virizion, or Terrakion."

"Zaps," Rei said seriously, "do you want the honest answer, or the optimistic one?"

Zaps gulped and replied, "Honest."

"Almost certainly." Rei replied, without any hint of sarcasm. "The Broken Dreams are everywhere, Zaps. They influence Pokémon, from the weakest to the most powerful. From complete strangers like the Pokémon wandering the Mystery Dungeons, to our friends, like Cinder." She closed her eyes. "I can only hope that we will be strong enough when we find what's causing all of this. It scares me how dark aura could be spread over such a large area, all over Theseus."

"Then why?" Cinder asked. "Why are you so confident, so focused all the time? I don't mean to be rude, but you seem so... courageous. Fearless. Like nothing can get in your way."

Rei stared at her calmly, showing no emotion. "What choice do I have? I am hope. I am here for a reason. I lost my memories for a reason. And I am going to help these Pokémon who are suffering, for a very important reason." She stared at her paws.

"I don't know who I was before... but I know that I never felt joy as I have with the Pokémon here. I was never happy with who I was before... so, more than anything, I want to protect that joy."

Raoul spoke up. "You... weren't happy at all? That's... so sad."

"I guess. Or maybe I just haven't remembered the happy things yet," Rei replied joyously. "It pays to be optimistic."

"What _do_ you remember?" Zaps asked seriously, looking at her with an awed expression. "You can tell us, right?"

Rei shrugged. "Not much. But what I do remember takes place in a dark room," she shivered. "where I'm in the dark, calling out constantly for help, and never being answered." She sighed. "The last memory I had was weird though. It wasn't the room... it was a forest."

"Like the Forest of Abundance?" Cinder inquired.

"Not really," Rei admitted. "More... quiet. Deathly quiet. And there was a cliff... and I had this weird feeling that I was..." She paused.

"No. Nope nope nope nope. I'm going to stop right there." She got up. "Who feels like helping me test teleportation?" She flashed into an Espeon, and Raoul got up.

"I'll help," he agreed. In his thoughts, he continued, _you sound like you need it._

* * *

Once teleportation was no longer a problem for Rei, she decided that they would set up camp for the night. It was agreed that they would stay clear of Lake Buttercup, and so they had camped out at the top of the mountain closer to Serenity City.

As three of them slept, Raoul laid awake. His eyes flitted back and forth between his friends, especially Rei, who was sighing in her sleep and muttering something. He was really worried now, considering how reluctant Rei had seemed about discussing her newest dream. What had scared her so much? How could anything scare Rei that much, after they'd defeated Celebi, and Mesprit's Kyogre, and Primeape's rescue team, even a fake Deoxys? What could possibly scare her?

He eventually decided to get up, and with quiet footsteps he walked to the edge and let his legs hang over the cliff. The air was in his face, and he let it flow past him and cool his face.

Then he was glomped.

"Wha- Rei?" He stammered, getting up and pushing her away. "What's up with you?"

For a few moments she just stared at him. Then, without any warning, she began to cry.

It wasn't sobbing, he doubted she could ever sob. Water just began to leak from her eyes, as she sat there staring at him with a lost expression.

"I had a dream." She murmured. "I had a dream. You were in it. You were gone." She sniffed. "I woke up... and I looked over... and you were really, actually gone."

An immense guilt buried itself deep into Raoul as he was once more glomped by a pile of brown fur. This time, he didn't have the heart to push her away, and for once he actually felt older than her. It was strange how she could change from a courageous leader to a whimpering mess simply by a dream.

"Could... you tell me about it?" Raoul inquired. "Would that help?"

Rei sniffed again and got off him. "Yes. Yes, I should. Just... let's sit down somewhere else." She begged.

* * *

She breathed deeply, now an Espeon. Her eyes seemed calmer now, and Raoul assumed that being an Espeon helped her in some way, so he said nothing of it.

"I had a dream," she explained, "in which I was human again. I was... the lines were blurred. I am not sure. But I believe it was the room again - except that I was dreaming inside the dream. Asleep." She shook her head. "A dream inside of a dream."

"Yeah?" Raoul urged her on. "What did dream-you dream?"

She sighed. "I was dreaming that you were talking to me. Which was strange, because humans can't speak Pokémon. But it was all so... familiar. And then... there was a forest." her eyes went wide at this, but she said nothing.

"Was it the same forest?" Raoul inquired, not knowing what else to ask.

"Yes," She agreed. "And this time, it was even worse..." she shivered.

"How so?" Raoul asked seriously. "Rei. You know you can tell me anything. I'll keep it a secret, if you want me to."

"I don't know," She said honestly. "It might scare you as much as it scares me."

"I'm ready for that," Raoul replied immediately. "If it means that I can help you recover, then I'm all for it."

She sighed deeply and dug her face into her paws. "One... one... word." She looked up.

"S...Su..." she twitched. "No. I can't say it. All that I can say is that I did something horrible to myself, and in turn, to you. In that dream, you only existed when I was trying to sleep. It was horrible. I..." she shook her head vigorously. "I never want it to happen again. Ever. I won't let it..."

"Rei, are you okay?" Raoul asked, grabbing her shoulder reassuringly.

"Yes... yes." she decided. "Thank you. I just... when I saw you at the cliff, legs dangling... it was like deja-vu, except that you were there instead of me. I was on a cliff, in front of a forest, feet dangling off the edge..."

"Everything will be clear when we find Uxie, don't worry," Raoul soothed. "Everything will be okay. I know it."

Rei smiled briefly, then got up and began walking away, but paused after a few steps.

Raoul waited.

"Why?" She asked, staring at the ground impatiently. "Why were you in my dream, Raoul? It doesn't make sense... I was always alone... in the dreams." She turned around. "Raoul, do you think those dreams were real?"

"Yes," Raoul replied honestly. "I'm certain. All connecting dreams, always about the same thing... why else would you think about them so strongly?"

"That's true," Rei agreed. "But... in a way... I don't want them to be real. Because in those dreams... there was no happiness at all."

And with that, they returned silently to their camp, with no more words said as they fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

A/N: I'm back guys!

Enjoy the chapter! It ended up a lot more emotional than I expected... but my magical author powers deemed it necessary. Let's hope Rei doesn't have another nightmare like that for a while.

Big thanks to Havarti2 and PokeGalLavender, my beta, for the effort they put in to help me write this chapter!


	25. Chapter 23

"Right, I don't know how well this is going to work," Rei admitted, turning to all her friends, "but no matter how effective it is, it should cut away a huge chunk of our travel time."

"You're sure about this? No-one will be left with half a body, right?" Zaps asked nervously.

"No," Rei said calmly, chuckling. "That's not how it works. Anyways..." She got up and stood behind all of them, focusing on keeping the group together more than anything else as she summoned forth the psychic power that surged from her.

It had surprised her how much energy she had; and yet, from her new understanding of how psychic energy and emotions were one and the same, perhaps it made sense. She barely ever allowed her emotions to be clear to the others; she couldn't help but try to keep from them the incredible ups and downs she felt. It was part of being a leader - being stable.

She paid close attention to her friends, touching each one gently with the tendrils of psychic power, before breathing in deeply and opening her eyes, to look into the distance, in the direction they needed to go.

 _Closer. I need to be there... and I will pull us towards it._

There was a gentle tug, and she was suddenly dropped in front of a field.

"What?"

"Excuse me!" A Meowstic - a young boy, from the looks of it - ran over. "Did you just try to teleport?"

"I believe so," Rei admitted. "What happened? Did I make a mistake?" She quickly looked around and sighed in relief when she saw her friends with her.

"Yes," he nodded, checking a clipboard her held in his paws. "Right. You aren't trained in teleport, are you?"

"No," Rei replied, now feeling quite amused. She imagined that it was common if he knew exactly what to ask.

"I see. You forgot to make a height link with the location you were planning to teleport," he continued, "and you completely ignored one of the main rules of teleportation; Think only of your destination. You would have ended up in a real mess, falling from the sky in a general co-ordinate between all the places you were thinking of. A great number, I must confess. What's up with the forest?" He rattled off quickly.

"I'm sorry," she said automatically. "I've had a lot on my mind lately. I'll avoid teleporting until I can do so properly." She glanced around at the small room, and looked out the window to a large number of psychic types, as well as a few standby dark types. "Where are we?"

"At a boot camp known as Budding Psychic." he replied, putting down his clipboard. "I have half a mind to make you stay, too. But you seem like you're in a hurry."

"We are, I guess," Rei replied, "but not a dreadful one. I can afford a day or two so that that doesn't happen again."

"Good!" He chirped. "I'll introduce you to everyone, then. And let me see... yes, we can teach some interesting techniques to your friends, too." He decided. "Now, you three... head outside for a bit. I need to check something."

Raoul, Zaps, and Cinder glanced at each other, and eventually decided that they were okay with that, trotting outside. The Meowstic took a deep breath and made a loud cough to get Rei's attention.

"So!" He chirped, directing his attention at Rei alone. "Why is your brain so scrambled?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted, sitting down. "But it has half to do with being an amnesiac, and probably partly responsible are the memory-dreams I keep having. It's unfortunate that the dreams I have end up being the truth, especially considering how... disturbing... they can be." She shivered visibly. "I'd rather not speak of it."

There was a calm silence for a few moments before she felt a gentle mental probing on her conscience. It was soothing, relaxing, and she realized very quickly that the Meowstic was trying to find out what was wrong.

 _Are you sure?_ she thought.

 _Yes,_ the Meowstic replied silently. Rei sighed and calmed herself as much as she could before forging a path. It was complicated and simple at the same time, how she led the boy directly to what was scaring her most.

And all at once he got a huge mental package that knocked him out of her mind and off his own two feet.

"Whoa," he said simply, quite literally awed. Then, shaking himself off, he grabbed a nearby stone and cried out, "Sir, we've got a 253, hurry over. She seems stable, but breaking is only a word away." He paused and turned to Rei, grabbing her shoulders.

"We've got you, you'll be fine," He assured her. "You need all the time you can get, and we're here to help. You can bring your friends back in, you'll need them."

"Right," Rei replied, a bit bewildered. She trotted outside and smiled at her friends, who were playing outside with a few of the younger psychics there.

"Oh, Rei," Raoul dashed over, "You okay?"

"I think so," She replied. "I feel fine, but I think that Meowstic's gotten it into his head that I'm some sort of mental case." She giggled. "It's hilarious."

"Yeah?" He grinned. "But, yeah. I'm glad to see you're more cheerful." He paused. "What next?"

"What next," A new voice said, "is that we help your dear Espeon here recover. She's obviously been through some incredible mental stress without any training for it." A damp, webbed hand patted her shoulder, and she looked up to see a Golduck staring down at her.

"Meowstic told me about you," he confided. "We'll do everything we can to help."

"I don't think I need any," she admitted, "but I may as well. It can't hurt, and I've been driving us all way too hard."

"Right," He smiled. "I'm glad. My name is Chrystan. It would have been Crystal... but unfortunately, I am male." He laughed lightly, and soon more of them joined in, the light humour of the comment being accepted, before he continued into more serious matters.

As they walked towards huts not far away, he explained, "I'll ask you stay for a few days. There's a..." he paused, "Sauna nearby, if you wish to relax, and I assure you that the area is quite literally flat plains all the way to Serenity City."

Rei suddenly seemed much more cheerful, and requested, "May I head for the sauna? I think I'd like to take advantage of it as soon as I can."

"Go ahead," he smiled. "Be our guest."

As she left, Cinder asked, "Sauna?"

"We call them the steamers," the Golduck divulged, "but her brain, with as scrambled as it is, remembers them as Saunas."

"What about the plains thing?" Zaps inquired, curious.

"It seems that scenery has a heavy impact on her," he replied sagely. "If you can, try not to speak of the surroundings unless you have to. It's... a strong link to her memories that I cannot retrieve."

"What's her amnesia like?" Cinder asked seriously, approaching him as they entered the hut. "I mean, if you can probe her mind like that."

"Well," he considered, stroking his chin. "her memories are definitely locked for very good reason. As in, it was... either voluntary, or someone forced her to lock them away." He shook his head. "And what is accessible would be mentally scarring to anyone who isn't especially strong, like your friend Espeon."

"Rei," Cinder corrected.

"Rei?" He paused. "Ah. Most humorous."

"Uh, why?" Raoul inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"She stored it in a different manner than I was expecting." He replied. "She remembers it not as her original name, but as her name here, among her friends. It has a meaning, as well, which is why I was decoyed into believing it was merely a fact she had stored. Zero... how interesting."

"Well then," he decided, clapping his front flippers together, "do enjoy your time here. I'll check in tomorrow morning."

* * *

Rei stretched herself out and lounged happily in the sauna. It was incredibly relaxing, and she was glad the heat was gentle enough that she didn't turn automatically to Flareon; if she had, she would be cold, and that wasn't soothing at all.

She ignored most of the people that went in and out, until someone sat next to her.

"Well, I didn't expect to see you here," He commented, his spear-tipped tail wagging gently. "I didn't recognize you at first. Congratulations on evolving, Rei."

She blinked and looked up at her addressee before hopping to her feet. "Oun?"

He chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not here to drag your friends back to the village. Everyone supports your decision now. But I'm surprised to see you here - I was certain you would end up an Umbreon."

"I did," Rei said calmly. "Then I was a Flareon. Now I'm an Espeon. It's dreadfully confusing." She flashed to Flareon in an instant, making him jump, and she laughed.

"Sorry, couldn't help showing off," she giggled. "So, how have you been?"

"I'm doing well, thanks," he smiled. "Kaz and Ron are here too. We teach here when we have free time." He tilted his head. "How did you get here?"

"Failed teleport to Serenity City," She said bluntly. "I tried before knowing anything about it... which, in hindsight, was a horrible idea."

"Probably," Oun agreed, "But then again, what choices did you have?"

"Walk." She admitted. "From lake Buttercup."

She had the sense to remain serene as Oun let out a high, barking laugh. "Well then!" He coughed, and calmed himself. "I would have done the same thing, to be honest with you."

"Good to know," Rei replied. "I'm a bit cold now, so mind if we continue our conversation outside?"

"Not at all," Oun replied, getting up. He stretched and went outside, followed by Rei, who flashed back to her Espeon body.

"I doubt I will ever get used to that," Oun commented, before glancing about. "Where are the others?"

"Last I checked, with a Golduck named Crystan," she replied. "But I believe that's Raoul and the others now."

"Rei!" He grinned. "And Oun!"

"Oun?" Cinder commented, tails wagging. "Did I miss something?"

"Is this a new team mate of yours, Rei?" Oun inquired.

"Yes," Rei confirmed. "Cinder, this is Oun, from Kaz's team. Oun, this is Cinder. She was a Broken Dream until we found her." At this, Cinder pawed at her Everstone necklace grimly, remembering it.

"I see. I'm glad you're out of that situation," He said honestly. "It's nice to meet you."

"Same," she replied nervously, deciding at the last moment to quickly bow when she realized who she was talking to.

Rei felt a mental probe from a familiar feeling, and smiled. "Hello, Kaz." After a moment, she continued, "Ron, as well."

"The same," he replied, exuding waves of emotion that now meant more than expression to her. She could feel the very power that he had stored within him, barely able to stay confined in his form. "You evolved?"

"Multiple times," she smiled, flashing to Espeon. "Unfortunately, I'm not a natural at teleportation, it seems."

"Few are," Kaz confided, "although I've been one of the lucky few. It comes naturally to Ralts and Abra."

They shared a smile, and soon they burst into conversation.

* * *

Oun smiled as he saw the ease with which Rei talked to Kaz, her tail wagging slowly. It seemed that she didn't even realize how often her tail revealed her thoughts.

He felt a gentle tug near his leg and turned around to see a pair of hopeful young eyes.

"Oun, sir?" the Vulpix - Cinder, that was it - asked nervously. "Do you think... that Kaz, or someone... could teach me Extrasensory? I've heard Ninetales can learn it." She shuffled. "We've been feeling kind of useless lately, to be honest, and-"

"Say no more," Oun smiled. "I know the feeling. I suggest you put some effort into helping the locals where you can. How long has it been since you accepted a request?"

"Never," she admitted. "We've been on the road since Rei found me."

"Then I suggest that while Rei recovers," He suggested, "that you and Zaps work together as a two-Pokémon team and accept some quests."

"Would you-?" Cinder began, but Zaps was already on overdrive, barely pausing for breath as he rattled off how excited he was, along with excitement and a touch of, surprisingly, excitement.

"I guess we'd better ask where we go to accept quests around here," Cinder decided, giggling. They dashed off hurriedly before long, leaving the top team behind with Raoul and Rei.

"Well, we'll be here if you need us," Ron assured her. "See you sometime."

"Bye," Rei smiled, sitting down. "I'll be sure to chat again when I have the chance."

As the three walked away, Oun wondered quietly if they would be okay. Rei had seemed so... unstable. He shook it off.

As long as he had his friends, everything would be alright.


	26. Chapter 24

Cinder stretched and grinned at the mid-morning sun. She breathed deeply and took in her surroundings for once, not having to go anywhere or run from anything. Her walk outside the campsite was proving very comforting.

But there was something she lacked.

 _"Oun, sir?" Cinder asked nervously. "Do you think... that Kaz, or someone... could teach me Extrasensory? I've heard Ninetales can learn it." She shuffled. "We've been feeling kind of useless lately, to be honest, and-"_

 _"Say no more," Oun smiled. "I know the feeling. I suggest you put some effort into helping the locals where you can. How long has it been since you accepted a request?"_

 _"Never," she admitted. "We've been on the road since Rei found me."_

 _"Then I suggest that while Rei recovers," He suggested, "that you and Zaps work together as a two-Pokémon team and accept some quests."_

She sighed and turned to Zaps. "Hey, you think it's really going to be that easy?"

"Yeah!" Zaps grinned cheerfully. "Oh, look! What's that guy doing?"

Cinder barely had time to blink before he was off and running. With a deep sigh, she cried out, "Wait for me!" And followed after him.

"Ah, you there!" He called, and Cinder looked up to see a middle-aged Grumpig. "Are you Truthmakers?"

"Yeah!" Zaps confirmed before Cinder could say a word. "Are you in need of help?"

"Yes!" The Grumpig exclaimed eagerly, eyes darting around hurriedly. "Well, you see, there's this precious item in there, and I'm not strong enough to defeat the Pokémon in there. Never did learn how to battle," he admitted, rubbing his neck sheepishly.

"Don't worry," Zaps assured him. "We'll get it back!"

"You will? Oh, thank goodness!" He cried, going down onto his knees to match height with Zaps. "Thank you so much!"

"No problem!" Zaps answered, before Cinder had a chance to say a word. "C'mon, Cinder, let's go!"

She sighed in exasperation and followed him into the Mystery Dungeon.

* * *

The dark cave was a creepy place, the damp atmosphere extending to the ceiling, which bore ominous stalactites and dripped occasionally, the sound of water droplets hitting the ground filling the cave with every step they took. Cinder visibly shrunk down, feeling more and more disturbed by the sheer humidity that was crippling her natural heat.

"What's wrong, Cinder?" Zaps inquired after they'd turned left and come towards a room. He peeked around the corner and nodded to himself before signalling her to keep going.

"I can't use my fire," She admitted. "It's far too damp in here for it to make a difference."

Zaps looked genuinely concerned as he stopped in his tracks to speak to her. "You can't? You have other moves, right?"

"A few," she hedged, "but not many. Tackle... Quick Attack, Extremespeed, and if I try really hard maybe I can manage to pull off Fire Fang. It's still in my mouth, see, so that won't be put out by the humidity so much."

"Right. I guess I'm the powerhouse today." Zaps decided. "Keep behind me, and if we run into a group, distract them."

"Right."

They moved on.

* * *

"Poliwag to our left, edging around the corner to ambush us," Cinder whispered, glancing for just a moment at the offending, empty-eyed Pokémon. Zaps nodded and Cinder felt her fur bristle as static flowed over his fur haphazardly.

In barely a moment he had pounced on the Poliwag and rendered it unconscious.

Cinder shivered and pointed. "Let's get going," she urged. "I hate this place more and more by the second."

Zaps agreed heartily and they left together.

* * *

As they walked cautiously down the hallway, Cinder squinted at something in the distance. She frequently caught the light bouncing off something on the side of the thing in the distance, and soon she poked Zaps and asked him to stop.

"We're nearly there though," he grumbled, although he stopped all the same. "What is it?"

"You have that electrical current sensing-thing, right?" She hissed. "See if that thing glowing ahead of us is alive."

He nodded dubiously and let little jolts of electricity run into the floor. A few moments later, he paused, and said fearfully, "It doesn't _feel_ very inanimate, but if it is alive, it's only alive by a thread."

Cinder gulped. "Better now than never then. We might be able to save it."

They walked forward at a faster pace, being wary not to let themselves be ambushed. As they got close enough, it was quite evident what had happened.

On the ground lay a Spoink who was quite clearly unconscious. It had bruises all over itself, and its pearl lay on the ground next to it, almost mockingly. Cinder went to the effort to push the gem back onto the Spoink's head, and Zaps pushed an Oran berry into the Pokémon's mouth before zapping it very lightly - just enough to feel.

"Mrrh..." it mumbled, revealing a feminine voice. "Huh?" She suddenly burst upwards, though her pearl's weight kept her from hitting the ceiling, and she cried, "Grumpig!"

"I'm afraid we're not him," Zaps told her.

"My father was- RUN!" She shouted, running headfirst into Zaps. He hopped out of the way, and she landed again before turning around.

"Tell us why!" Cinder cried, immediately taking a battle stance. A few moments later, she felt an oppressive dark aura with the minor psychic part of her and hissed instinctively, memories of another her - a crazed, violent her - came rushing back.

Zaps glanced between them as words rushed forth from the Spoink's mouth - things they barely caught before another word was uttered, although 'gang', 'thief' and 'danger' were quite apparent. A few moments later he let out a violent discharge as something - actually, a whole pile of somethings - jumped onto his back all at once.

The pile of Croagunk scattered as a short, bulky form came tromping forth.

"Well, well, well..." he cackled. "Looks like Grumpig wasn't wrong when he said there was an easy group this time. Though it seems his daughter has been revived. Pity, I was going to enjoy watching-"

He was suddenly very scared.

There were two angry Pokémon staring at him, both of which looked far more dangerous than a pair of kids. The Vulpix, in particular, was seething, tongues of fire flickering in her mouth.

He was very suddenly engulfed in fire.

The fight began.

* * *

She jumped to one side as the Skuntank lunged forward with a screech of pain, nicking one of her many tails. She winced and launched a wide, weak wash of flame to distract him before whacking down one of the many Croagunk with a quick set of hits from her tails. It ran off immediately.

Zaps glared pointedly at the group of Croagunk closing in on him and grinned almost evilly.

"Discharge," he explained, before all of them were flash-electrocuted in half a second. He leaped to the one that looked closest and began scratching at it, before deigning him unable to battle and moving on to another one that had begun to sneak up on him.

He felt a surge of power behind him after a few moments of whaling on the Croagunk, and he turned around to see Spoink Headbutt another Croagunk halfway across the room. He smiled at her for only a moment before kicking back into another one and sending it into the masses.

Cinder glared at the Skuntank before her, still letting fire play over her tongue in little wisps of potential. She quickly reviewed the Extremespeed technique in her head before using it in a unique way.

Up.

The Skuntank blinked as she reached a peak, too bewildered to try to hit her, and was suddenly attacked from above by twenty pounds of ballistic fire-type. He staggered as she leaped off of him and turned to face him again.

A sudden cry to her left made her jump back as an electricity-veiled form leaped forth and ran head-first into the Skuntank, knocking him over bodily.

They glanced at each other and grinned. Zaps sheathed himself in crackling electricity while Cinder let a fireball burst to life and trail down her fur until her entire body radiated firepower.

They launched forth together and knocked him backwards, watching closely and circling him as he struggled to get up.

Zaps charged a Thunderbolt.

"Well, if I'm going down," He hissed, "I'll bring you down with me!"

The thunderbolt launched as Zaps was startled suddenly out of his concentration, and moments before the attack hit the Skuntank's eye glowed a deep, evening red. Zaps blinked, cried out suddenly, and collapsed as well, the two Pokémon down for the count.

"Zaps!" Cinder cried, panicking. She leaped forwards and let out a Flamethrower to fend off the attacks from the Croagunk that had snapped out of their paralysis. She poked Zaps a few times before giving up and instead focusing on the hordes of Croagunk that stomped forward to attack her.

She let out a test bout of flamethrower that winked out before it got to the group of Pokémon. Wincing, she leaped forth with Extremespeed and whacked the Croagunk she passed, attacking at every opportunity. She stood by Spoink, who was hiding in a corner, and turned around once more.

She growled in a low tone, hoping to intimidate the swarm of Croagunk, and hissed as they refused to halt their advance.

"What do we do?" Spoink asked desperately.

"You stay safe," Cinder told her. Gulping almost below the audible level, she continued, "I'll take care of this."

* * *

Using Quick Attack was simple. It was speed, it was compact, and it wasn't difficult. The problem was that it simply didn't have the power she needed to get to the Croagunk surrounding her. She'd taken out one or two, but it was already becoming difficult to keep up, and her sides were heaving as her breath went heavy.

She winced as the dark feeling returned to her, forcing itself on her mind. She desperately tried to keep it away, but it was proving difficult to avoid being taken over by the dark feeling and defending herself from the Croagunk.

And, very suddenly, there was a beautiful moment of clarity where she saw what she'd known. Her time as a Ninetales had been a brutal, painful one... but there was something she had learned.

She grinned.

A single moment later every Croagunk in the room felt their bodies turn to jelly as they were hit with an entire room's worth of powerful Extrasensory.

* * *

Sharing the load, Cinder crawled out of the cave with Spoink, Zaps unconscious on their backs. She pointed to the place where the team had been staying, and they walked in on Raoul and Rei chatting with Oun and his team.

Immediately, Rei jumped forth with a graceful leap and pulled the unconscious electric-type from their backs. She circled him with an emotionless stare, watching the minute movements he made, and nodded to herself.

"I would be very angry," She admitted, "but I'll give you a chance. What happened, and was it worth it?"

"Zaps and I were on a walk when a middle-aged Grumpig asked us to find something in Dark Cave for him," Cinder explained. "He accepted the quest right away, although I was nervous. Halfway through we were ambushed by a gang of Croagunk and a Skuntank and we barely managed to defeat them."

"He's wanted, that Grumpig," Ron explained. "he lures people into there, then has that group of poison-types attack the travellers that try to help, stealing their money and things. It's quite horrible."

"I'm so sorry I didn't warn you two," Oun apologized. "I didn't think he'd try anything of the sort with a Truthmaker." He smiled. "Mind you, I believe this young lady with you was someone you rescued?"

"Yes!" Spoink cried, eyes glimmering from the memory. "They protected me valiantly!"

"Right," Rei said, a very slightly noticeable command snap in her voice. "Spoink, I suggest you stick around town. Inspector Ion will likely wish to speak with you. Cinder, Zaps, please come over here. Kaz, I'm afraid I'd like to speak privately with my team for a bit."

"Of course," Kaz agreed. "Let's go."

A few moments after the four had left, Rei stared hard at the two of them. Zaps blinked awake and sighed in relief, before fidgeting nervously. Cinder was too nervous to even pass him an oran berry. Rei sighed and gave him one, which he ate quietly.

He gulped it down and began to speak, but was quickly hushed by Rei's expression.

"Cinder. Zaps." She said, nothing in her voice giving hint of what she was thinking.

They both gulped deeply, waiting for whatever happened when Rei was mad. It certainly didn't look good.

"Good job."

There was a silence.

"Say what?" Zaps inquired cautiously. "I'm sure I must have heard that wrong."

"I said, Good job," Rei repeated. "But more seriously, that was both very stupid and very kind." She flashed down to Eevee again for the first time in two days. "I know I should probably be fuming, but honestly, I would let you do it again if it meant helping people. As long as you tell us next time, it's okay." She smiled. "But I seriously hope you don't plan on doing more missions for a day at least."

There was a pause before an uneasy laughter played around them. It eventually became comfortable, and they stopped, the feeling in the air much less awkward.

"Oh, I learned Extrasensory," Cinder commented. "I'll be sure to remember it for later."

"Really?" Rei inquired. "Good. It'll be helpful."

"Actually," Zaps admitted, "I think I'd like to train again. I didn't do very well keeping those Croagunk away."

"Sure, I'll join you later," Rei agreed.

Cinder stared at her paws nervously. "Uh, Rei?"

"Yeah?" Rei acknowledged.

"I... felt a weird dark feeling while I was in that cave," Cinder explained. "I could access my memories from when I was a Ninetales, that's how I remembered Extrasensory. Is that anything like...?"

Rei stared into the distance. "Maybe." She shook herself. "Sorry, it's just... I wonder. If it had to do with the cave, then we could use it... but at the same time, it's like playing with fire, no offense. It's very dangerous either way, but the rewards involved... do we want them? Do I want them?" She shook her head. "I'll think about this. But first," she flashed to Espeon. "Sauna. All of us. It's been a long day."


	27. Chapter 25

"Right, today _I'll_ be leader so we don't end up lost in a monster house again," Cinder said firmly as they walked out of the hut they were borrowing. "Seriously, that was just _stupid."_

"I'm sorry," Zaps managed, hunching over in guilt. "I didn't know."

"No, you didn't," Cinder sighed. "I'm starting to see why Rei is leader, and not you or Raoul. But still..." she shrugged. "I can't blame you, I guess. It was nice of you to try and help." She was paying attention to Rei's style. She'd brought them together, and her style had allowed the three of them to survive so far. Maybe if she followed Rei's footsteps, she'd be able to do the same.

She started as something touched her foot, and turning around, she laid eyes on a very young Pichu that looked at her with eyes that screamed of someone in need of help.

"What's wrong?" Cinder asked, Zaps coming up alongside her. The child seemed to be hyperventilating, barely able to keep a coherent sentence together.

Zaps sighed and poked the child on the shoulder, building an electrical connection. The Pichu stopped and took a few deep breaths, which seemed to work with the electricity, before he finally sat down and sighed in exasperation.

"Sorry," he apologized. "It was just- I couldn't-"

"We understand." Cinder said amicably. "If you can, please tell us what's wrong."

"Well I was playing with my friend Mudkip outside the village at the Snowy Trail," he began quickly, "and we were playing with our ball. Since we can't keep a snowball solid we were using my Light Ball. Then this group of Pansear came out of the forest and we tried to get away from them because they're a known robbery gang and then they caught up and took it and then Mudkip ran off somewhere and then-"

"And then you took a deep breath?" Cinder offered. The Pichu did so, calming down again, and continued, "I think Mudkip might have gone after the robbery gang. I need to find someone who'll help me-"

"We'll help," Cinder decided. "You want us to go to Snowy Trail and search for him, right?"

"Yeah!" Pichu agreed. Cinder nodded to Zaps for his agreement, and then paused.

"Where is Snowy Trail?" She inquired, smiling sheepishly. "We're from out of town."

"Oh, uh, that way!" He exclaimed, pointing. "Please be careful!"

* * *

The Snowy Trail was a simplistic place in its essentials, and yet had the minute details that made it unique. Snow falling down around them, there was a pristine silence that could not be erased, for it returned the moment their voices fell. Cinder shivered quietly and refrained from mentioning anything until the snow on a tree's branch got to be too much.

Zaps was abruptly informed about how it felt to be covered in snow.

He wondered briefly how his luck could be so bad, worming his way out, but he was abruptly aware that the snow was getting warm.

"Cinder?" He called. "What are you doing out there?"

"I'LL SAVE YOU!" She screamed, before he was face-to-face with a bout of fire. She was panting heavily, but snapped forward and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, pulling him out with a powerful twist and dropping him nearby.

"There," she breathed. "Safe."

"Hey, it's just a little snow," He muttered, shaking himself off. "What's so scary about snow?"

She blinked at him, then very slowly, she looked to one side and murmured, "Nothing...?"

"That-" he pointed to the pile of snow that was now a puddle, "was not what I would call 'Nothing'."

"Okay, look. I am a fire type," she seethed. "Ice becomes water when it is warm. Water puts out fire. See the point?"

"I guess?" Zaps shrugged. "How about I lead the way a little, and you can get me out of any snow that decides that when I'm passing under it is an opportune time to fall off a branch." He started off, turning for the path, and the sky turned to fire.

"QUICK ATTACK!" Cinder cried, panting hard. Zaps obliged and threw himself at the same general location, ramming his head into something cold and hard which fell over backwards. He paused to look at it, observing the Beartic, quietly being glad for the surprise. He turned to his jumpy partner and sighed.

"Are you sure we should be knocking Pokémon out on sight?"

"Sorry, I'm a bit... trigger happy today." She offered, her voice barely over a whisper. A bit more confidently, she commented, "he looks okay. Let's keep moving - I see a way through over there."

* * *

The silence when they had first entered the trail had been calm, didn't intrude, was even expected. As they reached the further parts of the trail, however, the silence was a weight that slowly pressed itself against them until it couldn't be ignored.

"Walk quietly," Cinder warned. "I can't see that far through the snow." Zaps nodded and shuffled a little closer, picking his pawsteps carefully as they made their way through the gentle snow-laden breeze.

It was a few minutes later that they finally relaxed a bit more, allowing their shoulders to loosen (at least, Zaps did; Cinder was still on edge from the whole ice-water thing.) and make their way through more efficiently.

It was a sudden nudge from Cinder that told Zaps to stop, and a quick paw swiped over his mouth to stop him talking. Cinder creeped up next to him and pointed over to a seemingly normal tree, hissing, "someone's there."

Zaps wanted desperately to laugh it off. Cinder was way too edgy for the mission. He obliged anyway, sending out a few weak electrical pulses, and studying the reactions carefully.

"It's bipedal, fire type," he murmured. "I think it might be a Pansear."

Cinder considered momentarily before shooting up and standing tall. Zaps, in the spur of the moment, did the same. She gulped and called, "Hey! You over there!"

The scurrying was muffled by the snow, but they had a clear view, and the scraping against the tree the Pansear used to push off was loud enough that it set them immediately into action. Leaping over the snow piles, Zaps asked, "Why in Theseus did you just call out like that?!"

"I don't know!" Cinder panted. "It seemed like a good idea, what with me being all trigger-happy lately, to try and sort things out nicely!"

"Well, it sure didn't work this time did it?!" Zaps yelled back. "Go on the defensive, I'm giving you a boost!"

His electrical field expanded slightly, and the little threads of electricity reached their way through the ground and up her legs. With a shiver, she took control and started bounding farther.

"Good!" Zaps called. "Now - onward!" For a split second there was a wild grin on his face, and then they were off, bounding over the snow after the fire monkey that ran ahead of them.

* * *

They finally stopped, panting hard, and flopped down on the ground helplessly.

"We lost him," Zaps grumbled in frustration.

"It can't be helped," Cinder murmured back. "he could swing from the trees. Guess that's why they even live here at all - they know how to get around." She got up and shook herself off, snow flying off her red coat, and with a quick glance around she helped Zaps to his feet.

"So, where are we now?" Zaps asked, stretching out to get rid of the tension.

"Don't know," Cinder replied briefly, glancing around. "But wherever we are, it's probably closer to our goal. He'd only travel in places he knew, right?"

"That seems logical," Zaps agreed. "So, we keep going down this path?"

"Yup," Cinder confirmed. "Keep going until we find something."

* * *

Working together, they covered as much ground as they could efficiently, taking to either side and taking each of the monkey trio that arrived. They were surprised to find that Pansage and Panpour also lived in the forest trail, although it made little difference - they were still able to attack strategically and get through without much trouble.

Zaps dove in to discharge a Panpour that had leaped out, pausing to get his breath as Cinder set fire to a Pansage who quickly took the message and backed off before he was hurt worse. Nodding to each other, they hopped down a hill and kept going.

* * *

Cinder hovered nervously near the clearing, her fur bristling as she glanced around with panicked eyes. Everything seemed like a bad idea, every little nook and cranny an excellent place from which to be ambushed. Deep in thought, she kneaded the ground for a good five minutes before Zaps tapped her shoulder gently.

"We should probably stick to the sides," he murmured, pointing to a set of crystals that ran near the wall. The cavern itself was pristine; there were no impurities to be seen in the ice, and incredible complexity that created a beautiful set of reflections that made the room as bright as sunlight.

Their true goal, however, was a simple yellow sphere in the center of the room. They still didn't know where Mudkip was, or how the Light Ball would help, but it was worth grabbing it to see what happened. Cinder was incredibly nervous from it all, just waiting for something to go wrong, and with a snap she replied, "Perfect spot for an ambush from upwards of twenty monkeys. I'm not going there."

"So you're going to go out in the open?" Zaps inquired with a smirk.

"...No." She replied, her expression going flat. "I'm thinking, be quiet for a second."

After a few moments she said, "We'll sneak around the crystals." Zaps grinned and took step beside her as they trotted quietly closer to the yellow ball. They stopped behind a crystal when they caught sight of a small group of Pansear.

"Watch this," Zaps requested, a playful smile on his face. Cinder barely had time to retort before he flashed forward, his body wrapped in black energy, and he threw himself at the first Pansear, knocking it down and out. He spun on one paw and sent out a discharge that paralyzed the pair left, and an extremespeed took care of them.

"Okay, one, do _not_ scare me like that," Cinder said grouchily, "and two... that was pretty awesome. What was the dark-type move?"

"Feint attack," he explained. "I'll teach you later. It's a similar concept to what Rei does when she teleports..."

They crouched down again and kept going, their paws making barely a sound on the ice.

* * *

"Right, watch my back." Cinder adjusted her position, Zaps standing similarly behind her, and in a flash she had her paws on the Light Ball.

The brief moment of success was cut short by an abrupt cry from Zaps that ended suddenly. Dreading what she would see, she set her fur on fire and turned around quickly.

Before her was a tall green Pokémon with two short, dark green leaf like tails that steadied him and his position directly on top of Zaps, who looked like he was down for the count. His stomach was red, all the way up to his muzzle, which turned down into a scowl as yellow eyes with a glare of steel watched her.

The Pansear around him started closing in on her, and she briefly considered her options. Her focus was deterred by the Grovyle charging an attack in his trio of leaves that jutted out from his arms, forcing her to react. The moment's panic caused her to throw the fire playing over her body at him, and it was only a moment before a Pansear jumped in the way and absorbed the attack for the Grovyle, barely leaving a mark on him. She didn't even think before she let out a steady hiss, her instincts taking over for a brief moment before she stopped to observe them carefully.

She glanced about and estimated the number of Pansear, shaking her head internally. There were far too many. If only Zaps were there to let out a discharge or two - but instead, she hopped upwards and threw herself at the Grovyle, who cried out as she bit his leaves. Her maw crackled with dark energy as she secured her jaw's grip, refusing to let go.

Her triumph was short-lived. She jolted as upwards of ten Pansear leaped onto her back and began whaling on her. She freaked, setting herself on fire again in an attempt to get them away, and an extremespeed removed her from danger.

Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and found her focus.

 _Right. Calm. What can I use that can hit all of them at once?_

 _Extrasensory._

Her mind reached out, and eyes snapping open, she blasted mental energy at the Grovyle with as much force as her mind could muster. Her mind spread pulses around her after that, blasting away the Pansear that came too close. She was barely aware of the few Pansear that collapsed, focusing on how she would defeat the main foe, Grovyle.

A deep breath as drawn, and she let loose a stream of flame, letting go of her mental focus. The sudden movement, as she had hoped, surprised Grovyle enough that he had to jump back, and she noticed with a hint of satisfaction that he was nursing a burn on his arm.

There was a moment of complete silence, and then from behind Grovyle an intricate, spearing network of electricity travelled throughout to all the Pokémon in the room, save herself. Zaps bounded forward and called, "Now, Cinder!"

She didn't even have to think about it. With a deep breath she wound up for a large flamethrower attack, but as it washed over Grovyle, he held up his other arm, and a shimmering psychic shield protected him.

"Why are you trying to take our gem?!" He cried, creating a pause in the room.

"It isn't yours!" Zaps cried. "It's Pichu's!"

He blinked, then looked to the Pansear around him. Zaps did him the honour of absorbing the electricity holding the nearest one, who walked to Grovyle and muttered something unintelligible.

It seemed to do the trick for him, because he shook his head and grabbed the Light Ball, tossing it to Cinder, who grabbed it hurriedly.

"Thank you?" She said, a bit uncertain.

"We should be apologizing," He admitted. "I had assumed that the gem belonged to us. I will be having a long talk with them later." Turning tail, he paused, and continued, "I suppose that the Mudkip who came through is also your friend. He's in the back. I bid you farewell." With a curt nod to his followers, the Pansear leaped away into the distance, followed by Grovyle himself.

After a brief moment of silence, a small blue blur whipped forth and hugged Cinder's leg. She resisted the desire to run away in a blind panic, instead turning to see the Mudkip clinging to her, and she sighed.

"Let's get out of here, Zaps, Mudkip," she breathed. "I could use a long trip to the sauna right now, and this is not a sauna."

* * *

A/N: Hey-o! Miss me?

So. The crisis that is my daily life has been averted for now, and as much as I want to scream into the void, instead I'm going to make an effort to not die inside. Yay me!

Updates will begin to come back. I will need time, but I will get through my life crisis and write.

Feel free to message me. If I'm being lazy, say so! There's no shame in urging me on.


	28. Chapter 26

Rei checked the map and nodded to herself before turning to her friends. "Everyone ready?" she inquired, her tone chipper and upbeat.

"Yeah, but are you?" Cinder asked, a crease of worry on her face. "It's been a week, but still, you weren't exactly in the best of ways a week ago."

Rei took on a very serious expression. "I got over it," she commented vaguely. "But I promise I'll be fine. I've been training a bit so this teleport won't go screwy."

"Not to mention she trained when I couldn't get to her," Raoul grumbled. "You should have been resting."

"I should have been training," she replied defiantly. "Everyone was. But enough. Everyone sit still for a minute, I'm going long-distance." They complied, with a few confused glances shared, and a steady hum rose in the air. After a few moments the hum became a strange silence that was filled with what Raoul was certain must have been an incredible amount of psychic energy, that lifted them gently, and then moved. He knew this because it looked like they were in a bubble of psychic that was going very, very fast.

There was a lurch, but it was cushioned, and they dropped down the last foot to the ground, snapping everyone out of the trance Rei had pulled them into. With a triumphant look on her face, and her body once again that of an Eevee, she pointed to the city gates with a satisfied smirk.

"Told you I'd be fine."

* * *

Rei was nervous.

It wasn't the city itself that made her anxious, no; it was quite the opposite. While Raoul and the others stumbled through, their country side surfacing quite blatantly, Rei found it so _easy_ to weave through the crowds and stop at the right places and make her dainty way up and down crowded steps. She was almost tempted to reach out a paw and grab a railing that wasn't there, and it _scared_ her.

Raoul ran to catch up and managed to slide in next to her. "You okay?" he asked, still a bit disorientated from the new surroundings. Cinder and Zaps were not far behind, and they fell into step behind them.

"I will be," she confirmed.

"How do you do it?" he asked after a moment, dodging another larger Pokémon. "Getting through the crowd that easily, I mean."

"I don't know," she murmured. "I'll vocalize what I'm doing, but it's mostly instinctual for me. It scares me a bit, to be honest." She began a mindless chatter as she moved along, describing the way she shifted herself to dodge a particularly excited Forretress or how she would carefully step over the Flabebe at her fee- _paws._ Soon they were suitably able to get through a city crowd without being squished, and they kept moving.

Rei paid particular attention to the chatter around her. As much as she could always just ask, the Kingdom was not really a place where you should stop in the streets. Even now, looking for the Truthmaker's building, it was difficult to move around all the Pokémon.

Zaps commented, "Think it's that big place over there with the Weavile out front?"

"That Honchcrow looks familiar," Raoul murmured, and instantly a twinge of dread swelled in Rei's throat as she approached.

She cleared her throat of the knots that tied her tongue and asked, "Is this the base of operations for the Truthmakers?"

"Yes," the Honchkrow confirmed, and for a horrible moment she recognized the voice. "Who are you?"

 _They don't recognize me._

"My name is Rei," she offered, hoping it would jog their horrible memory.

They glanced at each other, then turned back. "Pleasure to meet you," the Honchkrow said amicably.

Rei was almost screaming in her head. _Dear Arceus,_ she swore internally, _Murkrow of all people is being nice to me! Is it because she doesn't recognize me? Why is she even-_

"Thanks!" Raoul cried, spearing her thoughts where they stood. She shook herself out and started off to the doors, dipping her head gently to them as she passed. It was returned, much to her surprise, but she didn't have time to think about it before she went inside.

"Rei," Cinder offered, "You seem a bit off today. Let's stop for a bit, I'm sure they won't mind us taking stock in a room somewhere." She glanced knowingly at the room full of scarf-bearing Pokémon, most of which were chatting or otherwise working through obviously Truthmaker-esque tasks.

"Good idea," Rei commented. "Sure, let's stop for a bit."

She sat down to think.

 _Hm. So. Those two, Weavile and Honchkrow now I guess... seem... different. Almost like they'd lost their memory. They definitely seemed to be being nice to me, after all, and I doubt they would have done that had they remembered me, or anything about themselves, for that matter. I guess it's one thing to know that evil isn't something you're born with, and to actually see it in action like this._

Shaking her head, she let it slide. If they'd been given a second chance, great. It meant that they would be doing good in the world for once. Breaking form her concentration, she pulled her bag in front of her and started sorting through her things. They still had a bountiful set of supplies, but it was nonetheless a good idea to check.

She was halfway through sorting the sitrus berries when someone tapped her on the shoulder with a hard hoof. Pausing, she turned around slowly and looked upwards to a tall blue Pokémon.

"Where's your scarf?" he asked simply.

"I don't have one," she replied. "I'm not a Truthmaker."

There was a pause, and he continued, "Are you travelling alone?"

"No," she answered. "Who are you?"

Immediately the air seemed to tighten, as if the air itself was a rope held by the breaths of the Pokémon in the room, and she had just pulled it tight. She stood her ground, hoping her ignorance could be forgiven.

"I am Cobalion," he said proudly. "I, along with Virizion and Terrakion, am one of a trio. I manage the training of Truthmakers in the field of purpose."

Rei took a moment to let the information set in. A short bow was called for, she decided, and afterwards she replied, "I am Rei, from far away." She shook her head. "I'm afraid I hadn't heard of you, though I remember now that Raoul has mentioned you a few times. He has great respect for you."

With this comment, a small, quirkly smile flirted past on his face, but she only noticed it for a moment, even with the sharp practice she'd had sensing feelings with psychic types. While his face gave away nothing, he was radiating pride and joy.

"I'm glad to hear that," he nodded slowly. "It is good to know I am worth looking up to." With a quiet, thoughtful look, he began to walk away, but it was at that moment Raoul looked up from working through his own bag.

He gaped for a few long moments before getting up, obviously being drawn to shock by his hero being before him. Rei chuckled lightly, which garnered Cobalion's attention again, and his face played with a smirk just long enough that Raoul caught it, before he returned to his dignified frown and walked away.

"He smirked," Raoul whispered, gripping his bag. Rei held back chuckles for as long as she could as Raoul went on and on about his hero until finally she ran out. A few moments later there was the faint sound of uncontrollable laughter.

* * *

It was a given that they would have to leave eventually, so Rei had set off to find somewhere to sleep, but she hadn't been far - not even out the block - before she was stopped by a familiar white claw, a claw she remembered as having come close to scratching her face many nights ago.

"Please wait," Weavile's voice rang out, sounding strange now that he wasn't cursing or flirting with her. "May I talk to you?"

Rei stopped and sat down, awaiting questions. "Go ahead," she confirmed.

"Do you... know me?" He asked desperately. "And be quiet about your answer."

"I once knew a Sneasel," she murmured just loudly enough for him to hear. "and a Murkrow, too. They were a lot like you."

"I knew it," he nodded to himself proudly. "I just knew it. That look in your eyes really did mean something. What was my name?"

"You didn't have one, other than Sneasel," she admitted. "Neither did Murkrow."

"Okay, good," he nodded. "I had hoped that was why I couldn't remember."

"So you have lost your memory," she sighed. "I don't know if I should be happy or sad about that."

In that moment, Weavile got a thoughtful expression on his face, and his mouth became a grim line. Very slowly, he asked, "Was I not very nice?"

"Do you want the brutal answer, or the gentle one?" She asked back.

"Brutal," he decided. "I've waited long enough, I should get the truth."

"You flirted with me until I put you in your place," Rei commented, tilting her head in an attempt to remember. It seemed so long ago now. "You would flirt with some others, too, but not Murkrow. The two of you were tight friends. You also had a very... let's say, negative relationship with our teachers and my friend Raoul. You didn't see eye to eye, and I'll be quite honest, neither did we."

"I'm sorry," he said honestly, after a few stunned moments. "I guess I wasn't very nice."

"There's always a reason Pokémon stop being nice, or start being mean," Rei reasoned, "but it's hard to see that when you don't know what's under the surface."

"Yeah," He nodded. "You're right. I'm so sorry for who I was before. I don't remember much beyond the night Murkrow and I were teleported here, but we stuck together. Anyways..." he gulped. "Thank you. Cobalion and the others refuse to tell me anything because I'm 'unstable'..." he sniffed. "Unstable my two-feathered-"

"Um," Rei coughed, getting his attention. He calmed down and shifted uncomfortably for a few moments.

"Me too," she muttered.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"I was unstable. And not just 'at risk'... literally in complete and utter panic mode." She shrugged. "I would have been here a good week earlier if I didn't get myself a break, but I probably would have had a mental breakdown." She glanced up at the clock. "And now I need to find a place for my friends to sleep, so I'll have to say goodbye. See you." She began to trot off, but Weavile gripped her shoulder again.

"Wait!" He cried. He began to stutter, "uh, you don't have to- I mean, you can-"

"Take a deep breath?" she offered, raising an eyebrow.

He nodded. "Yes, um, you can stay with us. Honchkrow and I have a few spare beds in the Base," he explained, pointing.

Rei paused, then decided, "Sure, thank you. I'll go tell my friends."

* * *

Laying down in the hay, she felt a stab of nostalgia hit her, remembering the place she had once called - as much as she hated to admit it - home. It was strange that she couldn't remember her real home, but in a way, she knew that Weavile and Honchkrow felt the same, their awkward glances every time someone said the very word.

Sure, it was a house, and they lived there. But what, really, was home?

This was what she was thinking, about two hours before she usually fell asleep, when a firm knocking was heard.

Honchkrow and Weavile were immediately alert, their bodies stiff, and the door swung slowly open to allow inside a tall green Pokémon with the appearance of royalty.

"I was told that an Espeon named Rei is here," she commented, looking around. Her eyes set calmly on Rei, and she returned the gaze. This gaze was different from Cobalion's; calm, patient, relaxing. While Cobalion put most on edge, Virizion seemed to be the opposite; her very presence told her she was okay.

"I'm Rei," She confirmed. "Who are you?"

Raoul looked like he wanted to faint. "Rei!" He gasped. "That's Virizion! Haven't I told you about her enough?"

Rei nodded. "Too much."

Virizion allowed a light chuckle to escape her lips. "Moving on," she said firmly, "I'd appreciate it if you could come with me, Rei. I have many things to ask."

Rei resisted the urge to gulp nervously and got up. Looking to her friends, she instructed, "I'll be back. Get sleep - we all need it."

Slowly, they allowed it, and Virizion led Rei away into the halls.

"Excuse my ignorance," Rei began, "but where, exactly, are we going?"

"To a meeting room, where you will meet Terrakion. I believe you've already met Cobalion." She took a deep breath. "You lost your memories?"

"Yes," Rei confirmed.

"Do you remember any?" She interrogated, a grim seriousness in her expression.

Rei replied, with a very shaky, very quiet, "Yes."

There was silence until they reached a pair of redwood double doors, which swung open with an ominous creak into a very quiet study. Around a table in the center was Cobalion and one other who she decided must be Terrakion. A playful smile was on Terrakion's face, and she was tempted to return it.

"You are here," Cobalion stated, dipping his head in greeting. "It is nice to see you again, Rei."

"The same," Rei replied. "Why was I brought here?"

"About your first memories of Theseus." Terrakion nodded seriously along with Cobalion's words. "We admit that we spoke with your friends, Cinder and Zaps, I believe. They told us that you were a victim of amnesia of some form, and we hoped that we could inquire further, since amnesia is one of the many effects Pokémon who recover from being Broken Dreams have." He sighed. "We have even employed a few. Have you met Weavile or Honchkrow?"

"I knew them," Rei replied wistfully. "We went to school together."

There was a curt nod of acknowledgement. "They were Broken Dreams we recovered. The Blessed One's information on the Everstones was very helpful in recovering them."

"The Blessed One?" Rei inquired, tilting her head in confusion.

"An Eevee who was found in a small village far off," he explained. "She was found in a temple of Keldeo, which is why she is known as blessed. She discovered a temporary cure to Broken Dreams, the Everstones."

"Um," Rei murmured uncomfortably. "How many Eevees have you come across in your lifetime?"

"Not many," he replied. "Why-"

Rei flashed to Eevee and gave him a flat look. "Oh yay," she commented, deadpan. "It doesn't work at night." A few moments later she flashed to Umbreon.

There was a stunned silence.

"Right," Virizion said, her lip quivering. "I'm going to go sit down now." And sit she did.

"Who was Keldeo?" Rei inquired, stretching. "I never really got a chance to ask anyone who'd know."

"He was our friend," Terrakion said sadly. "A hero."

"Keep your head, Terrakion," Cobalion admonished. "He had to go. It was his home."

"Home?" Rei asked eagerly.

"His home," Cobalion agreed. "A place he called 'China'. It sounded like a very interesting place."

And very suddenly, Rei felt incredible confusion.

There was hope.

But was hope what she wanted?

* * *

A/N: -ω-

I'm having too much fun... you know what that means.

Time for Tortur-FRIENDLY INTERACTIONS! :3

Good luck surviving the angst.


	29. Chapter 27

Rei was sent away, after a short discussion, back to her pile of hay in the small bedroom. Lying down, she got comfortable, and cleared her mind, daring herself not to think of anything for a few minutes, until her eyes drooped down far enough that she could sleep.

Of course, she didn't get that far. It was inevitable.

Rei didn't know. She finally had a sign of hope - another human had come here and gone home again. There was a shot at going back! There was really a way! But there was this squirming feeling in her gut that made her feel sick the more she hoped for home.

It was a sudden realization, the kind that makes you twitch and become incredibly alert. Rei twitched so violently, her body could barely register the sheer reality of it all, nearly doubling over in sheer shock.

 _I don't want to go home._

Her heart was heavy with the weight of it. What was the point? She already loved her friends with all her heart. She didn't have any good memories of her home, the home she had wanted so desperately and worked so tirelessly to get back to. Why was she dragging her friends around the country if there wasn't a point anymore? Dear Arceus, where did she even live?!

Then she remembered her training. A deep breath, rocking herself slowly back into sensible thinking. She paused, and asked herself the question again.

 _Why are we here? Where are we going?_

And her mind gave her answers.

 _We are here to protect, to rescue Theseus from the Broken Dreams. We're going to talk to Queen Shaymin to ask about the Broken Dreams, and what can be done._

She sighed in relief. She had a purpose here, and she was going to get it done no matter what got in her way. With her conscience clear, she went to sleep.

* * *

Her morning was peaceful for a change. She stretched, and realizing everyone was still asleep, she creeped out quietly to go downstairs and enjoy her day, leaving a note behind so that they didn't worry about her. She trotted out the door and decided to hit the streets for a bit, if only to get a feel for the area.

She worked in hoops around the Truthmaker building, navigating with the sun to keep track of where she was in comparison with the Truthmaker building itself. She quietly reprimanded herself for not picking up one of the maps, but kept going nonetheless.

She had taken a rest in a park bench when a chirpy voice called, "Hey! You there! Help me up!"

She looked down over the bench to see a small... _hedge_ hog. She shook her head and got down, lowered her body to the ground and said, "Hop on."

The small green Pokémon hopped onto her back and snuggled into her fur as she slowly transferred the Pokémon from her back to the bench. She crawled off reluctantly and nodded.

"Thank you," she said smugly. "it's nice to know some people around here are as gracious as the Truthmakers."

"Glad to have helped," Rei replied, tilting her head. "Who are you?"

"Shae!" She replied. "Nice to meet you too, miss...?"

"Rei," Rei supplied. "Excuse me when I ask, but you seem a bit young to be going about by yourself."

"So do you," she replied promptly. She giggled with a smug smirk on her face.

"I guess I can't complain," Rei agreed. "But I do have friends around."

"I _had_ bodyguards," Shae muttered darkly. "I decided I didn't need them."

Rei decided this was the kind of girl who everyone thought was too precious. She also figured that it had developed into a need for freedom - and it filled her with a conscious concern, considering that freedom attempts usually didn't end well without someone to be there with them.

Her mind formed a cunning plan and the words came easily. "Say, you live around here, right?"

"Yes?" Shae's eyes flickered for a moment, but it was too fleeting for Rei to catch anything. She brushed it off and continued.

"I hope you don't mind, but could you show me around? My friends and I are headed to a few places today and I didn't really know who to ask..." She smiled sincerely at Shae, hoping her good will would help convince her.

Shae nodded vigorously. "No problem!" she agreed. "Oh, follow me, I want to show you my favourite shop! They're always handing out free sweets."

And so, Rei followed Shae through town, hoping nothing too bad would happen before she could get Shae back to her bodyguards.

* * *

Rei was stunned by the beauty of the newest destination. She'd utterly forgotten about Shae's bodyguards; from passing conversation between landmarks Shae had explained that her bodyguards were actually much less powerful than she was. It was merely obligation that kept them from being dismissed entirely. With that knowledge, Rei had devoted her time more to enjoying the sights than keeping an eye on Shae, who seemed happy to stick with her.

The park outside the Truthmaker building had been quite pretty. _This_ park was _stunning._

There was an indescribable beauty about the detailed network of fountains that had the water flowing constantly; like hundreds of little waterfalls falling down from the centerpiece, a beautiful jade statue of what she assumed was a former queen.

"This was put in for our current queen," Shae interjected, "Queen Shaymin. I like it particularly; they made a special effort to get different materials to show the colours as accurately as they could." She smiled up at it lovingly, and Rei could sense the thought from a mile away. _Shae loves this fountain._

"I like it too," Rei agreed. "Thank you for showing it to me."

Shae glowed with pride. "You're very welcome!"

Rei paused and checked the sun. "It's already afternoon... I should probably head back."

Shae looked briefly sad, but agreed. "Yeah, I guess I'll be seeing you around?"

"Yes," Rei agreed. "At least until I get to meet Queen Shaymin or whomever else can help me get the answers I need."

Shae looked a bit shocked. "Queen Shaymin? What do you want to talk to her for?"

"About the Broken Dreams and how I should go about preventing them." she shook her head. "We can't go wearing everstone necklaces forever. Something has to be causing the broken dreams, and my plan is to stop it doing so."

"Big things you want to do," Shae noted. "How're you going to get an audience with Queen Shaymin?"

Rei shrugged. "I'll find a way," she said optimistically. "and anyways, I know a few people who're with the Truthmakers, they might be able to help me out there."

"Well then, I hope you'll get to speak with her," Shae said cheerily. "I'll just be headed home now. See you!" She turned on her paw and trotted off, leaving Rei to find her way home.

"Right," she smiled. "I hope so too..."

* * *

A nice dinner with some of the Truthmakers was apparently on the list of things she was to do, and while she was there she decided to enjoy what they offered her. She dug into a few new meals, a select few of which she found spectacular, and she made sure that she had time to go to bed, checking the clock semi-constantly.

Her plans were interrupted, however, by a familiar legendary.

"Miss Rei," she heard Terrakion say, his hulking frame edging to sit near her. "You don't happen to have a few minutes free tonight, do you?"

"I do, I guess," she admitted. "What for?"

"I had a question to ask." He gulped. "Meet me at the library, and don't tell anyone. Okay?"

Rei raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "Okay."

* * *

She tip-toed into the library, her brown fur blending with the bookshelves as she reached the meeting table near the center of the library. She hopped into a chair daintily, Terrakion already sitting across from her.

"Glad you could make it," he said honestly. "I'll get straight to the point, but remember you don't have to say anything you're not comfortable with."

"Go on," she told him, paying rapt attention to his words.

"You said you remembered a bit about yourself," he began. "Can you tell me about this other world? The... human world, as he called it?"

"Only bits and pieces," Rei replied. "My memories are... probably not a good example. They are all nightmares, I'm afraid." she shivered.

"As I said, don't say them if you don't want to," he comforted quickly, his eyes flitting around nervously.

"It's fine," she protested. "Let me think... the first memory. Yes, the first memory was... neutral."

She let the speech cascade back and forth between silence and enthusiasm.

"I was alone. My mother was there, a human woman, telling me that the monsters didn't exist, that I was just scared, though of what I did not know. All else I remember from that one is humming quietly to try and get rid of the fear." She shook her head. "It got worse later."

"I see," he murmured. "Keldeo was always saying how much he loved home, and how much he wanted to go back. Turned out that someone had... what did he call it... Assassinated him?"

"He must have been very important, then," Rei reasoned. "Only important people get assassinated."

"he once had a nightmare about being assassinated," Terrakion mentioned, hoping Rei would continue.

She sighed. "I had a dream about a forest and a cliff."

"Yes?"

"I was dangling my legs over the edge, and... Raoul was there, looking sad and resigned, and-" she stopped. "What was I talking about?"

"A forest and a cliff?"

"Dammit, I'm not supposed to think about that one quite yet, my head isn't ready to handle it," Rei scolded herself. "Curses..."

She walked away, commenting, "I have to stop before I tear myself apart again. I'm sorry, Terrakion."

"No," he refuted. "Your information is precious. Thank you."

She smiled back at him. "Thank _you._ "

* * *

A/N: Wooo

Filler chapters~~~~~

Anyways, next chapter will be... fun? I think? Honestly I have no idea how to write the next part. Regardless, I'll get it done somehow. If you've been wondering over where I've been, I've been finishing my last term, so busy times are upon us. Thanks for your patience.

EDIT1: I forgot to send this to my beta, so Woop Woop it'll have to be updated again soon.


	30. Chapter 28

Rei woke up feeling extremely disoriented.

The first thing she noticed was that everyone was shaking and kicking fitfully in their sleep. If it had just been one of them it wouldn't have woken her up, but it was all of them, and even as she considered this Raoul kicked at her, and the way her fur bristled told her she was Umbreon now.

With a quick glance at Honchkrow and Weavile - both of whom seemed okay - she went around waking everyone up, throwing Everstone necklaces at them. She was glad she'd made sure to stock some.

Raoul was first to recover, shaking himself and blinking awake, then getting up and joining her. As she continued to wake everyone up, poking Zaps particularly hard, he inquired, "What's happening?"

"I don't know," Rei told him firmly, "and I don't care. We're getting out of here."

He was a little stunned, but with a sigh he decided to follow her lead. She smiled at the confidence he had in her and continued her mission.

* * *

"We're all awake," Cinder reported. "What's all this about?"

"Something's wrong," Rei told them ominously, black fur bristling. "I'm not sure what yet, but I suggest that we bring the supplies and that everyone stands at the ready." She shook herself. "We'll make our way out of the building and make sure everything's okay."

Something in her gut told her that okay was too much to hope for.

Gulping silently, she waved her team and their two hosts over, signalling them to follow her, and sneaked up to the door, pressing her body against the wall as she listened for movement. She figured she looked pretty paranoid, but she didn't really care. Nodding, she opened the door slowly and creeped out, the rest of them following her lead carefully.

She froze suddenly as an angry call rang out, though it was distant. She looked back on her friends and said quietly, "Prepare to be attacked." As an example, she let ghost energy flood across her fur and crackle with eagerness. The rest of them nodded, each preparing an attack.

"Right. Let's get going," she said firmly, hoping the tense feeling in her gut wasn't getting into her voice. Hopping down the stairs, she slid into the open and looked around accusingly at thin air.

The wind howled as it blew into the building through the open door, one hanging dangerously on its hinges as it flailed uselessly against the force of the gale. The building itself was silent, the deathly cold stinging her eyes as she looked around with deep suspicion.

She'd only taken one step forward when a Tyranitar burst through the door, a panicked expression on his face. He set eyes on the six of them and cried out in joy.

"Please help!" He cried suddenly, rushing for them. He kneeled down to their level and begged. "Everyone else has gone berserk! There's only a few Pokémon that are safe, we're hiding out near the fountain that way, please what do we do-"

"Calm yourself," Rei told him, making her voice as calm and steady as possible. "Head back to the fountain. No one is to leave that area. If you find yourself in an emergency, put this on the next of your attacker." She reached into her back and tossed a necklace at him, which he accepted readily.

"Thank you," he expressed firmly, smiling at her. "What next?"

"I'll find the source," she replied. "I'm fairly certain about what's going on, and it _has_ to have a source. If I destroy the source, everything should go back to normal."

"Right." He took a deep breath. "Do you want to go to the camp?"

Rei accepted, following him through abandoned streets. She considered deeply what it all meant.

Obviously, something terrible had happened, but what? She decided it would probably have to do with the Broken Dreams. That aura was likely flooding the city, but why? Why now instead of later or earlier? She shook herself out of it and focused on the task at hand.

It helped to be able to do something about it.

She bristled slightly as she felt Raoul touch her shoulder, but the moment she realized it was him she relaxed.

 _Yes. As long as he's safe, I can do this._

She gulped deeply and took a few quick steps forward. They were already there, it seemed. As she got there a small group stepped forward to speak to her.

"It's nice to see you again," He said, and when she looked up she smiled.

"Dewn? Is that you?" She inquired. He nodded.

With a wave behind him, he explained, "These are my friends... the others like us. Ash is the Cyndaquil in the back, the Shuppet messing with the Bagon's bag is Dimitri, and the Bagon is... uh, don't ask about that." He shrugged. "He'll tell you when he's ready... if he ever is."

Rei nodded. "It's nice to meet you all. I'm sorry it wasn't under nicer conditions."

"No matter," Dewn replied. "Listen, there's a few big pillars that I don't remember being here before. At least, I don't remember them being surrounded by giant purple clouds." He pointed up at a particular one that seemed to be not far away, and Rei realized with a start that they were everywhere.

"Right. Hand these out to your teammates, then we'll head to the nearest one." She quietly scolded herself for not noticing before - they were literally huge.

Not to mention they were kind of everywhere.

The four of them put on the Everstone necklaces on quickly, standing near her as she looked around at her team and Dewn's. The transformed humans - people like her - they all seemed relatively human. She couldn't help but notice that the Cyndaquil Ash stood on his hind legs, instead of using his front two with it, and the Shuppet often floated near the ground in an attempt to walk on solid ground. The Bagon seemed okay, but his small arms seemed to bother him. Dewn really seemed to get the best out of the arrangement.

"Right. That one over there is pretty close," Dewn pointed, and Rei nodded.

"Lead the way. Everyone, follow Dewn and I. Tyranitar? Stay here and protect everyone, I'm fairly certain you're immune." He nodded, eyes a bit wide in surprise.

She smiled at him, then turned to the two combined teams. "Right. Let's go, we haven't got time to waste."

* * *

The walk was fairly long, but she managed to get there in a fair amount of time. She looked up at the towering pillar before her, glaring at it.

 _Now, how to get rid of the darkness...?_

They couldn't very well wrap a bunch of Everstone necklaces around it, but that was the only thing she could think of at that moment. How was she going to fix this?

"Hey!"

 _I recognize that voice._

"You there!"

 _It's Shae. What's with everyone gasping like that?_

"Help me up!"

"Hop on," Rei replied automatically, kneeling down. She smiled at Shae as realization covered the small Pokémon's face. Shae jumped on eagerly and sighed happily.

"So you wanna know how to fix this?" Shae inquired, though Rei sensed a hint of hesitation in her voice. Why was that?

"Of course," Rei said firmly. "We need to fix this."

"Yeah," Shae agreed, making Rei raise an eyebrow. "Anyways... um, there's a bunch of gracedias in the castle garden, I can use them to get some extra power and cleanse the town. After that, it'll just be a matter of poking Pokémon with Everstones until they come back to their senses." Shae explained.

"Great!" Rei said happily, though a note of suspicion dripped into her thoughts. "Right, we'll split into two groups... right, Weavile, Honchcrow, Dewn, Raoul and I will take Shae to the castle so she can get that power going. Zaps, Cinder, Ash, Dimitri, and..." she paused pointedly.

"Bob." He stated grouchily.

"And Bob will work on recovering the Pokémon here. Take some of these Everstones, you five, and the rest of us will get going."

They pooled their resources, making sure they had what they needed, and headed off in opposite directions.

* * *

After a bit of debate, it was decided that Cinder would lead; really, she just naturally took step at the head of the group, but it didn't matter. They got into a sort of formation, working as a group to surround anyone they found and purify them. It was working fairly well, and they were able to point the purified Pokémon back to the fountain, which seemed to keep them from falling back into being a Broken Dream.

"Do any of you guys have any idea how this could have happened?" Ash asked, voicing his thoughts.

"We're not sure," Cinder admitted. "I'm sure we can ask Rei after this ends. She'd know more than me."

"She's your leader, right?" Dimitri inquired. He did a twirl and poked a Weedle which was quickly sent away.

"Yes," Zaps agreed. "She's definitely the smartest, too."

"And the most powerful," Cinder continued. "and... I guess the most damaged."

"Damaged?" Dimitri repeated.

"Yeah," Cinder shivered. "She... had a mental breakdown about a week before we got here. That was pretty terrifying, seeing a fearless leader just suddenly... fall to pieces. We didn't even notice until we were teleported to that Psychic boot camp."

"Psychic?" Ash commented. "I thought she was a dark type. Since she's an Umbreon and all."

"Well, she is," Cinder admitted, "But she's also an Espeon when she wants to be. And a Flareon when I'm there to set her on fire."

They blinked.

After a moment, Dimitri shrugged and said, "eh, Bob's weirder." He shied away when he got a fierce glare from the Dragon-type.

"If you say so," Zaps decided. "But honestly, it's scary sometimes... she seems so... deep."

"A lot of people are deep," Ash said quietly. "Dewn is deep. I think it might be a blessing not to be."

There was a brief silence at that statement.

"Say," Dimitri began nervously, hoping to break the silence, "What makes her so strong, as you said?"

"Well," Cinder began, overriding what Zaps was going to say, "she helped fix me. I was a Broken Dream until she rescued me. And since then, well, we've had loads of adventures together." She sighed happily. "I finally feel like I'm worth something."

"But Cinder, you've always been worth something," Zaps objected. "No, she just gives us the tools we need to be even better! She taught me Thunderbolt, and helped me learn Extremespeed, and so much more!" His eyes glowed with excitement. "We're always learning new things with her around, and I get to go on adventures all the time, and we're really _doing_ something!" he wagged his tail eagerly.

"Oh, definitely," Cinder agreed. "But you can't deny that she's also very smart. She figured out the Everstones, she helped me recover from being a Broken Dream in no time flat, she figured out everything we know."

Zaps shivered quietly for a moment. "She figured out her own memories too, don't forget. She's probably still upset over that."

Bob suddenly became very vocal.

"She remembers things?!" He asked seriously. "How? Why? I can't even remember my own name!"

"So you aren't called Bob?" Zaps inquired, not really surprised. "And she dreams them... her memories, I mean."

He looked down at his feet. "We all... well, most of us get our names, and one other memory..." He shivered. "Our last moment."

"Last moment?" Cinder asked, curious. "What do you mean?"

Dimitri looked grim. "You really want to know?" He asked darkly, contrary to his prior positive attitude.

They gulped and nodded, a bit too nervous to ask out loud.

Ash spoke for the three of them. "Every Pokemon that was once a human remembers one moment of their life. They remember, more specifically, how they died."

There was a deathly silence.

"Well," Dimitri commented, "Most of us died in pretty cool ways. I just sort of... got pneumonia. Pretty dumb."

"Dewn died in a car crash," Bob recalled. "I don't even know how I died. I think I'd like to know, however."

Ash added quietly, "I drowned."

Cinder and Zaps looked at each other. Looking back, Zaps said quietly, "We... aren't sure how Rei did. Only Raoul knows much of anything, and he seemed... solemn. Just solemn."

Dimitri shrugged. "Who knows, then? Death itself makes people solemn, so it's not much of a hint."

"You should ask, maybe," Ash suggested. "She seems stable enough now that you can ask."

"Maybe later," Cinder decided. "After this is all over."

"Agreed."

They continued to get through to as many people as they could, although it was notably harder the closer to pillars they were. They kept up with a solid determination, however; there wasn't much else they could do.

* * *

Shae had decided to remain on Rei's back for the time being, and Rei didn't have the heart to refuse her that. Instead, they maintain a decent pace towards the castle. How Shae was going to harness power from a field of flowers confused her, but Rei didn't really have time to consider the implications.

"So, Dewn," Rei inquired, hoping to break the nervousness in the air, "how's Vide?"

"She's fine," he said shortly, sighing. "Well, we haven't seen each other in a while, considering I've been here for a week on business with the others. I guess I shouldn't complain about a week, but still..."

"I get it." Rei smiled. He chuckled sheepishly and smiled back.

"Yeah." A pause, then he got a grim expression. "Say... have you gotten any of your memories back? Did you meet with Uxie?"

Rei gulped. "Uxie was gone."

Shae gasped. "Uxie? Is ze okay?!"

"We don't know," Rei admitted. "There was a fake Deoxys there, but nothing else. It was really quiet there too."

"That's zir guardian symbol," Shae said, horrified. "Ze wasn't there when you... defeated it? If you did at all?"

"No," Rei admitted. "It just... fizzled. It was forged out of pure emotion, and when we defeated it, it just... disappeared."

There was an upsetting silence as Uxie's fate ran through the minds of the group of six.

"I have to say though," Rei commented hurriedly, hoping to keep up something close to a comfortable conversation, "I did remember a few things."

"Did you remember... your last moment?" he asked in a hushed whisper. It didn't hide much, but she bristled.

She wanted to scream it out. _Yes, yes,_ she thought briefly, _I remember. I remember it all and it was horrible._ Instead, she composed herself and nodded briefly.

"How?" He inquired. "If it isn't too much to ask..."

She sighed. "S...Su... nevermind, I'm still not ready."

He put two and two together, and sighed. "I'm... sorry to hear that. I hope Theseus has treated you better."

"It has," Rei agreed, smiling sadly. "Come on. We're nearly there."

She didn't know why, but she felt a solid stare on her back, and decided it would be a bad idea to look back at just that moment.

* * *

Raoul felt... jealous? He guessed it was a good thing that she was sharing that with others now, but Dewn... made him jealous. He wasn't even quite sure why.

His mind was taken off of his feelings as they reached the castle wall.

"Right," Rei said firmly, still an Umbreon. "Honchkrow, help Shae get over the wall if she needs it. The rest of us will maintain the area until you return."

Honchkrow nodded and spread a wing for Shae to climb up onto her back. With a deep flap they rose into the sky and over the wall, leaving the rest of them to hold the ground.

Raoul looked around, and very quietly he shuffled his way next to Rei.

He may not hate Dewn or even believe anything was between the two of them, but he wasn't taking any chances.

Thank goodness Vide had given him that 'confidence and cunning' speech...

* * *

They stopped fending off Pokémon to look back as there was a bright flash from behind them. They turned their heads to see _two_ Pokémon fly out from behind the wall and land beside them. Honchkrow seemed a bit bedazzled, and the other Pokémon seemed grim.

"Rei, sorry, I'm sorry I- I didn't tell you before," The greenish-white Pokémon stated hurriedly. Her large, wing-like ears drooped only a bit, but rose again quickly. "It's Shae, more well-known- I'm Queen Shaymin. Come on, we've- I've got to get me - I need to get to those pillars-"

"Thank you for telling me, Shae," Rei said, waving everyone over and cutting her off before she embarrassed herself. "Let's go, I don't want to waste a second." She made a particular effort not to show her surprise; she didn't have time to let that sink in.

The queen nodded, and they were off at a breakneck pace now that Shae could keep up. Dashing over, they now started simply blasting the Pokémon that approached instead of trying to purify them; purification could wait until the beat the source.

Shae gulped as she looked up at the pillar of darkness that was towering above them. "Right," she breathed. "Listen, Rei, can you lend me some strength? This might be a bit draining otherwise."

"Of course," Rei agreed readily, taking stance next to Shae. "What should I use, and on the count of three."

Shae took a deep breath. "Use anything except dark and Psychic attacks, and make it powerful. On one, two..."

"Three."

BOOM.

At that moment, a pair of light beams - one looked like Solar Beam, the other Hyper Beam - launched at the pillar and blasted it to smithereens. Rei put a weak shield over the group as debris rained from the sky for a bit. She looked up at the sky and noted with satisfaction that the clouds were clearing up.

Rei cleared her throat to get everyone's attention. "Raoul, Shae, Weavile, take the left side of the city. Dewn, Honchkrow, come with me and help me cover the right side of the city."

Raoul frowned.

Dewn looked at Raoul briefly and felt a bristling feeling in his back. Was he... glaring at him? He shook it off, but apparently Shae had a different opinion.

"Um, can I actually trade for Honchkrow?" Shae asked. Hurriedly, she added, "I sort of need to be able to get up high for certain things..."

"Sure," Rei agreed. She didn't even notice Shae creep over to Raoul and whisper in his ear.

"Go for it," Shae hissed in his ear. "Trust me, I made the mistake of turning a blind eye. Go!" Raoul nodded vigorously, trying to hide his blush, and the two teams were off.

* * *

Rei blasted another Pillar down to the ground, wiping her mouth and panting heavily. Taking a deep breath, she reached into her bag and grabbed a Sitrus berry, gulping it down without a second thought.

"Are you okay, Rei?" Dewn inquired. "You mustn't push yourself so hard."

"I have to," Rei insisted. "I'm the only one here who's strong enough to take down those pillars, other than the Queen."

"Don't say that," Raoul interjected. "I bet if I try hard enough I could too. I'll help."

"Raoul, I'd just be worried about you then," Rei sighed. "Look, I'll be fine. There's only a few left."

"There's at least ten," Dewn corrected. "Raoul's right, I'm sure we can do the rest. You should get back to the palace, they'll need you more there."

Rei frowned. "No."

"But Rei-" Dewn tried to reason.

"No."

"We'll prove it to you," Raoul decided suddenly, jumping to his feet from his kneeling beside Rei. She was a bit too tired to follow, and so she groaned in exasperation as she watched him run headfirst towards the nearest pillar.

"He's as stubborn as you," Dewn commented. "Stay here, I'll make sure he doesn't hurt himself."

"Thanks," Rei said grouchily, not sure how to feel about that comparison.

Raoul, many paces away, took a deep breath.

 _Remember the training she would do. Hyper Beam isn't hard, just draining... so build up some reserves._

Another deep breath. He felt his aura get stronger, recalling the book she kept reading, the one about a heroic Lucario.

 _I can do this._

BOOM.

It wasn't quite Hyper Beam, but it was close enough. He put his paws over his head as debris began to rain down above him, and winced.

 _Whoops..._

There was a flash of light as something began to deflect the stones pelting down, and then another as a pink shield surrounded them and the other light faded. He opened his eyes and sighed in relief when he saw Rei next to him.

She turned to him and glared. "You," she decided firmly, "are a _* &$%^ ! idiot._"

He was still trying to figure out what *&$%^! meant when Dewn took step at his other side, and he felt a pit in his stomach.

 _Wasn't this really important? Doesn't she want me to protect her?_

He suddenly remembered that she'd never said such a thing. Where had that come from? One way or another, he felt a deep stab of jealousy as she thanked Dewn for protecting him until she could get there.

 _I don't need protecting, Rei,_ he thought as she walked off, Dewn at her side.

 _You do._

He gulped and held back tears as he followed behind her, not even listening to her conversation with Dewn. He felt almost as if he wasn't there at all.

* * *

"Um, Rei?" Dewn whispered, once they were safely out of Raoul's earshot. "I know it isn't my place to say... but Raoul is strong enough to help. He just needs you to stick with him. He seems pretty down and-"

"Hush." she growled. "Sorry. I just... can't risk it. Raoul is very important to me." She glared at her paws as they advanced on the next pillar.

"Why so?" Dewn inquired.

She turned to Dewn and stopped entirely, causing him to do the same. For a few moments they just stared at each other, Dewn desperately trying to read Rei's expression.

"He's all I have left from my memories," she said, her body shaking dreadfully. "I saw him, Dewn. I saw him in my dreams, and let me tell you, I have _never_ had a dream that wasn't a memory." She glared at the pillar fiercely. "I don't know why or how, but I feel that I may have dragged Raoul into this. All I know is that I _must_ protect him if I want to know who I was, and why I'm here. At least... that's how I feel." She gulped and kept walking.

"Rei, you realize he just wants to protect you," Dewn commented.

"No, I'm protecting him," Rei said firmly. She charged up for a Hyper Beam and got ready to attack.

Dewn sighed. "No, what I'm saying is that he likes you. He doesn't want you to get hurt, and he's doing reckless things because you're trying to do reckless things."

She turned to look at him, her Protect shield keeping them safely away from the falling rocks of the pillar she'd just destroyed.

"You're underestimating him." Dewn stated clearly. "You need to allow him to help you, or else one of you is going to get hurt one way or another. Probably stopping the other one from doing something stupid."

"I can protect him," she shot back. "I'm strong. He's... well, he's Raoul. He wouldn't be in all this danger if it wasn't for me." She shook her head. "I allowed all this to happen, I should be strong enough to protect them."

"Rei, this is silly. Just calm yourself down and let him help." Dewn stated firmly.

"No!" she hissed back.

"Fine then. I'll help, and there's nothing you can do about it." he smiled. "And I'm going to have Raoul help me. I promise I won't let anything lay a finger on him."

Rei opened her mouth to retort again, but the padding of feet turned her attention away as Raoul approached. He was breathing hard, but unhurt, and the glow of power from before was just dying down again.

Something clicked. _He did it again. One of the pillars is gone._

 _He did it without me to protect him._

She fought back the urge to scold him again, instead shaking her head and taking step beside him. Turning back, she commanded, "Come on now. We've got seven to take down still. Dewn? I expect you to keep that promise." She sighed and kept walking, Dewn updating Raoul on the situation quickly as they headed for the next pillar.

Rei quietly resolved to thank Raoul for his effort more often. Maybe then he wouldn't be so desperate to throw himself into danger.

* * *

A/N: LONG CHAPTER IS LONG.

Welcome back guys~!

It seems that Raoul is rather... upset by a particular water-type. Regardless, I had to end the chapter here before it got too long, so I hope to have the rest of this arc finished soon.

(Did I mention we're maybe one half of the way through the story? *throws confetti*)

Once again, big thanks to my Beta for being _very_ patient with me and my random update schedules (ranging from 4AM to when we should both be asleep) and a big thanks to all of you! Please drop a review if you have anything to say!


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